Countach is set to release their fourth album "As the Crow Flies" in their self described sound of 'Northern Rock'; a sort of hybrid between Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Alice in Chains. The album is full of heavy guitar riffs and deep throated vocals; it kind of seems like something you would have heard playing on the radio circa 1995. That is not bad, but it feels a bit dated and I have trouble escaping my teenage years while listening to it. Maybe I have just out grown my angst ridden youth and have settled in the world of more melodic pop rock; where things just don't seem as bleak.
I do appreciate Countach's work ethic, delivering four albums in the last five years, productivity is a fine asset and the quality of the recording on the disc indicates that they are precise and persistent.
There are tunes that catch my attention, and the album is not just one big hodge-podge heavy rock numbers, which is nice. The mellow, FX'ed guitars on the verses in "Ain't No Surprise" is cool and "Not in Our Backyard" has a Soundgarden feel to it. "That Badge Don't Care" was an up tempo rocker with a punk vibe and the dual guitar solo on "Hey Blue" added a nice touch to the album's closer.
There is a definite level of professionalism being produced by these guys, and they put out quality records. The genre they seem to perform is dated, or maybe it is quietly creeping up as the new classic rock, the sound that was cool when I was a senior in high school. Perhaps I'm just dating myself.
www.countachrocks.com
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