One of the must-see new bands at this year’s Bloodstock festival is Stevenage natives Outright Resistance, a 5 piece nu-metal outfit with a fresh take on a genre that many people believe to be dead and gone. Me vs. I is a well thought-out, beautifully produced 7 track E.P. The band, led by ‘’Captain’’ Paige Lee, have something a little special on their hands here. Big sing along choruses, catchy riffs and a huge sound all makes this offering one of note.
E.P. opener and new video release Maimed in Chelsea is as Slipknot you can go and still get away with it! Being a massive Slipknot fan myself, I instantly loved it. A nod to the famed Chelsea grin act of slicing the cheeks to form a permanent smile on the victim’s face, this song and video are a showcase of the band’s skill and influences. Straight away you are nodding your head and singing along, although you do draw a few odd looks from people as you walk around chanting ‘’SLICE! SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!!!’’
‘’Prove Them Wrong’’ was the band’s first teaser of this E.P., being released a few weeks before the E.P. itself. A proper headbanger of a song, featuring impressive guitar work and guttural vocals; with a clear influence by Machine Head.
Fourth up is a track called ‘’Pain’’. There is a serious vibe of Chimaira off this tune. Starting slow and building to a crushing chorus, ‘’Pain’’ showcases Nelly O’Neill (drums) and Chris Everett (bass) skills. Solid double kicks and impressive fretwork are coupled with ‘’one scoop of groove’’ as the band themselves call it to make ‘’Pain’’ the most accessible track on the E.P.
‘’Gee, Dysphoria’’ is the band’s most poignant lyrically. Dealing with acceptance, tolerance and others ability to ruin a life with words and actions, ‘’Gee, Dysphoria’’ asks the listener to turn their eye’s inward and question one’s own idea of gender and accept that there are others who see the world differently. The Captain herself say’s it best, ‘’Just cause we’re different; we’re still all human. Reject ignorance’’.
Up next is ‘’Destiny is All’’. This is a much slower, groovier track. It’s easy to see why this band is being tipped for bigger things. They have it all. The guitar work here is simple, refined and absolutely huge. Mick Worsley and Joe Jacobs work together beautifully. They have created a wall of sound that just tears out of the speakers at you.
At 7 songs this is a long EP. You might expect the quality to dip towards the last song. Not only do you get one of the better songs on this EP, you also get an almost 8-minute offering that reminds you just what this band can do. ‘’Take the Blame’’ gives a welcome injection of pace that drags you out of the groove you just settled into with ‘’Destiny is All’’. With arguably the best of each musician on show here ‘Take the Blame’’ is no closer, it is a quality tune in its own right and showcases some solo work that would have been welcomed in earlier tracks.
At 6 songs (7 including spoken word opener and title track ‘Me Vs I’) I feel this is a bit lengthy for the casual listener but in saying that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has everything I wanted in an E.P, pace, groove, catchy hooks and solid musicianship. This will be the band to see at next years Beermagedon. 4/5
For more information on Outright Resistance, just click here.
DSK
© OVERDRIVE 2016
