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Greely Estates: Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East

29th April 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

A trend, or fad, if you will, can usually be distilled down to three parts. There are the instigators, the inspired, and then the bandwagon jumpers.

Over the last few years, it has seemed like you couldn't listen to a rock record without it having unhealthy amounts of so-called 'screamo' injected into it (ignoring for now that the genre of screamo has been misappropriated to a level equal to it's parent 'emo').

Wanted: 2nd guitarist for rad rock band. Should have a sweet screaming voice with a nice hint of whining.

As the 'screamo' fad dies down, all the bandwagon-jumpers are now jumping off, so it's nice to see that Greely Estates, which their third album, change little regarding their sound. No acoustic ballads on track eleven. No shifts to a more mainstream sound **cough Hawthorne Heights cough**, it's business as usual, proving that they sit resolutely in the second category of 'the inspired'.

What is sadly also true is that it is business as usual for Greely Estates, now on their third album, they have made efforts to strive for a more mature sound, but it is still somewhat monotonous. A scream here, a scream there, a quick cameo from a female vocalist, some double-bass drum rolls, and the odd bit of guitar noodle-age. Like a puppy on steroids, they're energetic and entertaining, but unlikely to provide lasting stimulus beyond the point where the novelty of small dog running into walls grows thin.

The mere fact that they appear to believe in what they are doing doesn't save them from the flames. Although "Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East" may of gained fourteen tracks to add to their likely explosive live shows, on record the requisite punch is somewhat muffled by the sound of repetition destroying itself over and over again.

Rating:  5 / 10