Posted on: May 1, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

“Falls Apart” is the first track on “Vol. 1” and it is a track that mixes together all of the disparate styles of radio rock that have made it big in the last fifteen years. The track shows that Hurt loves acts as wide as Live, Tool, and Linkin Park while not just rehashing each band’s style. In much of the same way, “Forever” shows Hurt as a band that have taken pages, even chapters from bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. The hard-rock formula that Hurt uses on this disc is diverse and different from anything else that other bands can cut, but as familiar as anything else that finds its way onto radio in the current time. The band has an ear for arrangement, one that will drag listeners through the entire 10 song opus that is “Vol. 1”.

“Unkind” continues this solid mixture of differing styles, with different segments of the track eliciting wholly different emotions from the Hurt fan base. “Danse Russe” is perhaps the largest derivation from the general sound of “Vol. 1”, using a much more organic type of sound to keep listeners focused into the disc. Masking multiple vocals over the lead, “Danse Russe” is a perfect example of a track that will be played at practically all proms for this next year. Hurt can chalk up a victory with this track as it is kept well under the four-minute mark; this move is done to counter all the other ballad songs that approach the six and seven minute mark.

“Dirty” is a perfect example of the diametric opposite of a track like “Dance Russe”; the bombast employed by the band shocks listeners back awake after a decent amount of time in which the more nuanced side of Hurt was able to see the light of day. The tracks may not be at the cutting edge for experimentation for rock music, but the solid nature of Hurt will ensure that the tracks on “Vol. 1” will be played on radio and mTV for years to come. In my eyes, it would actually be a disservice if Hurt never made a Vol 2 or Vol 3; the orchestral sound of a song like “Rapture” matches well with acts like Led Zeppelin in their prime. Give this band a shot, and if they don’t appeal to you now give them a few years to further refine their sound into something more amenable.

Top Tracks: Rapture, Danse Russe

Rating: 6.3/10

Hurt – Vol. 1 / 2006 Capitol / 10 Tracks / http://www.hurtband.com / http://www.capitolrecords.com / Reviewed 27 March 2006

[JMcQ]

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