Posted on: December 14, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

It is true that Forgive Durden starts off their “Wonderland” CD slowly, but after the first few minutes, individuals can see the beauty of the band. The band has a viewpoint that allows them to see the entire field; while individuals might clamor for an immediate gratification, Forgive Durden knows that they can do much more if they can build on structures. That is what they do with the first track on this CD, which ties together the emo style with the threatric rock of bands like Queen.

The guitar scales that run their fingers up and down the backs of their listeners are enough to tie listeners down for the entirety of this EP. Forgive Durden does not even need the added name recognition of Patrick from Fall Out Boy. The band only needed a hair over four minutes to do this, and they keep the assault going with the very atmospheric “Ants”. However, where Forgive Durden seems to shine the greatest is in their “Il Tango Della Signora Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi del Giocondo”, a song that has furious guitars even as the vocalist emotes at a level consistent with the rest of the instrumentation on the track. Forgive Durden come out of nowhere with this EP, and they really should see a metoric rise in their success as soon as fans of Fall Out Boy find this act.

There are a lot of similarities that individuals can hear between the two bands, and what seems to distinguish Forgive Durden is a much more raw sound in their music that does not seem quite as co-opted by the mainstream as Fall Out Boy. Keep in mind that the “Wonderland” EP we received to review was only half of the album, but if the tracks are representative of the other half of the disc, Forgive Durden seems to have a hit on their hands. The band takes their place as a soldier in the great emo war of 2006, where the more traditional type of emo acts (Fall Out Boy, Forgive Durden, Amber Pacific) go against the upstart emocore acts (anything on Trustkill, Norma Jean, Senses Fail). With this album, Forgive Durden should be able to provide a solid blueprint for bands that wish to follow in the band’s footsteps; the songs are all solid even if they are not at the height of originality. Give it a shot.

Top Tracks: Parable of the Sower, Ants

Rating: 6.8/10

Forgive Durden – Wonderland / 2006 Fueled By Ramen / 5 Tracks / http://www.forgivedurden.com / http://www.fueledbyramen.com / Reviewed 05 May 2006

[JMcQ]

Leave a Comment