Rating 4/5
I’ll get it out of the way right from the start - Switch Opens are a Swedish metal band. Yeah, I know, you’re probably scuttling for cover toward the stereotype of all those identical ‘Gothenburg scene’ melodic death metal bands…but fear not. To start with, Switch Opens are from Stockholm, some 300 miles away from Gothenburg. And when it comes to metal, their sound too is a comparable distance away.
No, this isn’t another melodeath screamathon. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what it is. It’s really quite fascinating to dream up a list of Switch Opens’ probable influences while listening through this album - they create a haze of fuzz that screams Kyuss, but some of their riffs sound more rooted in Southern Metal, with the likes of Down or Corrosion of Conformity. Their down ’n’ dirty groove kind of puts you in mind of Motörhead, albeit a more doomy Motörhead, maybe on Valium…and on top of that, they appear to share a name with a Soundgarden song. Putting all of that together, I suppose, makes this seem like the work of hairy stoners.
Before we delve further into that, a clarifying note; this technically isn’t the first album from Switch Opens. They released two others under the name ‘Fingerspitzengefühl’, before opting for a change of moniker as well as record company for this release. Probably a good move, as frankly a band with an utterly unpronounceable name playing weird psychedelic metal isn’t going to be conquering the world. How are they going to woo the crowd when they‘ve scored that big support slot? “Hello Stockholm, we’re Fingerspitzengefühl! No, Fingerspitzengefühl. F, i, n, g…”. It’s no surprise their old Myspace only attracted 2,000 fans.
Anyway, I was mumbling something about hairy stoners…it’s true that Switch Opens make noises like they live in a permanent cloud of pot. But a lot of the time there’s also something a lot more intelligent going on in their music. They combine the fuzz and bassy grit of stoner bands like Kyuss and all those mentioned above with the more progressive leanings of Mastodon or Opeth. There’s something bold and creative lurking in Switch Opens, and not bold and creative in that hairy-stoner way. Which usually seems to involve crisps.
The musicianship throughout is proficient, but with no offence meant to drummer Anders Bartonek and guitarists Thomas Bergstrand and Mikael Tuominen, I’d like to single out one member of the band. Vocalist (and bassist) Jesper Skarin puts in a fantastically diverse performance, melding seamlessly from melodic clean singing in songs like ’Express Death’ and ’The Electric Hour’ to frankly mad growled phases, such as in ‘Paper Walls’. The latter shows perhaps the most progressive side of the band - it features a weird, growling intro, building into a fast, heavy verse riff and bizarre chorus, with Skarin still roaring away convincingly. However, all of a sudden there’s an almost tranquil acoustic interlude, complete with synth strings, before the fuzz distortion kicks back in through the lead guitar and we end with heavy riffage again. Mad.
That song is put side-by-side with ‘He Dives Down’, which is much more straightforward and frankly groove-based - it basically sounds like Orange Gobin with a theremin intro - and for a second, you almost wonder if you’re listening to the same band. Only Skarin’s distinctive vocals and that fuzzy sound that’s starting to become familiar by that point keep you right. Switch Opens can go through a terrific amount of ideas just in the space of a single song, as I might have alluded to earlier when describing ’Paper Walls’, and this is noticeable in most other tracks on the album; go get lost in the nine-minute expanse of ’Terra Incognita’, for a further example. At times, it almost seems like they’re trying too many different things - I often decry the lack of imagination and inspiration in albums, but it’s also good when a band actually know what style they’re gunning for. That said, I think Switch Opens just about do enough to restrain that rampaging creative beast at their heart and present a unified front - no matter what kind of madness they’re weaving, you really can tell it’s the same band.
Alright, before we wrap this thing up, I’d better apologise to Sweden. I know they’ve brought us more than just melodic death metal, which I don‘t actually have any beef with. In fact, they’ve done very well indeed for a country shaped like a penis. There’s a proud tradition of cracking Swedish bands - Amon Amarth, Opeth and Meshuggah kind of speak for themselves. This album is a bit mad, and at times a bit disjointed, top-heavy with ideas, but Switch Opens have a bit of creativity about them, and are trying something different. As such, I’d definitely say they have the potential to someday be joining that list of luminary Swedes.
- Phil Sim
Ragnarök Radio
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Review from Ultimate Metal (Canada)
Really fuzzy metal is on offer that raises a pulse. It has enough to groove to carry out its intentions and make your head spin. The song “Paper Walls” features a really cool build up that gradually increases in intensity in a really cool fashion. There’s a difficult to define quality that overwhelms this band and makes them that much more interesting to appreciate. The groovy nature of the work almost gives it a doom-like vibe, though I wouldn’t place it directly into that genre. Also to be found are some elements that liken them to stoner bands like Kyuss quite effectively, although I’m not sure if I’d put Switch Opens at quite the same level as them.
There are enough distortion laden soundscapes to make one’s head spin and I mean this in a positive fashion. The sound this band portrays is quite solid in its delivery. The difficulty to pin down their traits makes Switch Opens an interesting outfit that has a one of a kind approach to show to the world. They maintain their musical performances at a consistent rate and show the ability to pull everything together. A lower point for the work is that the vocals don’t sound as smooth and appropriate as they could although they match with the music reasonably well. However, the acoustic moments that are interspersed within work great and I wish there were even more to be found.
Overall, Switch Opens is dense and likeable and I hope there’s much more to come from the outfit in the future. The groove-laden nature of the work elevates it into a higher territory and makes it worthy of multiple listens and great appreciation on the part of the listener.
- Adam McAuley
Ultimate Metal
There are enough distortion laden soundscapes to make one’s head spin and I mean this in a positive fashion. The sound this band portrays is quite solid in its delivery. The difficulty to pin down their traits makes Switch Opens an interesting outfit that has a one of a kind approach to show to the world. They maintain their musical performances at a consistent rate and show the ability to pull everything together. A lower point for the work is that the vocals don’t sound as smooth and appropriate as they could although they match with the music reasonably well. However, the acoustic moments that are interspersed within work great and I wish there were even more to be found.
Overall, Switch Opens is dense and likeable and I hope there’s much more to come from the outfit in the future. The groove-laden nature of the work elevates it into a higher territory and makes it worthy of multiple listens and great appreciation on the part of the listener.
- Adam McAuley
Ultimate Metal
Review from Zware Metalen (Holland)
Rating: 84/100
De naam Switch Opens zegt weinig mensen iets denk ik, hoewel sommigen de link zullen leggen met het gelijknamige nummer van Soundgarden. Als ik zeg dat deze Zweedse band het vervolg is op Fingerspitzengefühl, dat al twee albums uitbracht, dan zal er ook maar bij weinig mensen een lichtje opgaan. Logische naamwissel als je het mij vraagt, want ook al is het een internationaal gebruikt Duits woord, het bekt natuurlijk voor geen meter. Switch Opens maakt stoner, maar dan anders.
Want nee, dit is niet je huis-, tuin- en keukenstoner! De invloeden van Kyuss en aanverwanten zijn duidelijk aanwezig, toch doet de band als geheel totaal anders aan. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van psychedelica, de nummers zijn vrij lang van opbouw, plus de invloeden van onder andere Mastodon en Tool komen al snel naar de oppervlakte, maar ook van wat loggere acts als Crowbar en Krux kun je de nodige knipogen verwachten. In het openingsnummer Express Death zit zelfs een stevige postpunk-feel, maar dan met een vet, bassige ondertoon. De bassist domineert het hele album trouwens met zijn ronkende, stuwende partijen, waardoor de riffs lekker massief je speakers uitrollen. Nóg een pluspunt is zanger Jesper Skarin, die zich met zijn veelzijdige stem knap aanpast aan de muziek.
Aan de ene kant rockt dit "debuutalbum" als een tiet, aan de andere kant word je dus meerdere kanten op geslingerd. Nadeel in mijn ogen is dat de nummers af en toe wel wat bondiger hadden gemogen. Niet van je "don't bore us, get to the chorus", maar de vier heren slaan af en toe wel een klein beetje door in interessantdoenerij, waardoor de aandacht soms verslapt. Toch is dit een van de weinige kanttekeningen bij een ijzersterke, uiterst professionele en avontuurlijke plaat, die na meerdere luisterbeurten maar blijft groeien. Ze zijn ook niet voor niks ooit meegevraagd door Neurosis om als support act te fungeren. Goeie band!
- Robert de Leeuw
Zware Metalen.com
De naam Switch Opens zegt weinig mensen iets denk ik, hoewel sommigen de link zullen leggen met het gelijknamige nummer van Soundgarden. Als ik zeg dat deze Zweedse band het vervolg is op Fingerspitzengefühl, dat al twee albums uitbracht, dan zal er ook maar bij weinig mensen een lichtje opgaan. Logische naamwissel als je het mij vraagt, want ook al is het een internationaal gebruikt Duits woord, het bekt natuurlijk voor geen meter. Switch Opens maakt stoner, maar dan anders.
Want nee, dit is niet je huis-, tuin- en keukenstoner! De invloeden van Kyuss en aanverwanten zijn duidelijk aanwezig, toch doet de band als geheel totaal anders aan. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van psychedelica, de nummers zijn vrij lang van opbouw, plus de invloeden van onder andere Mastodon en Tool komen al snel naar de oppervlakte, maar ook van wat loggere acts als Crowbar en Krux kun je de nodige knipogen verwachten. In het openingsnummer Express Death zit zelfs een stevige postpunk-feel, maar dan met een vet, bassige ondertoon. De bassist domineert het hele album trouwens met zijn ronkende, stuwende partijen, waardoor de riffs lekker massief je speakers uitrollen. Nóg een pluspunt is zanger Jesper Skarin, die zich met zijn veelzijdige stem knap aanpast aan de muziek.
Aan de ene kant rockt dit "debuutalbum" als een tiet, aan de andere kant word je dus meerdere kanten op geslingerd. Nadeel in mijn ogen is dat de nummers af en toe wel wat bondiger hadden gemogen. Niet van je "don't bore us, get to the chorus", maar de vier heren slaan af en toe wel een klein beetje door in interessantdoenerij, waardoor de aandacht soms verslapt. Toch is dit een van de weinige kanttekeningen bij een ijzersterke, uiterst professionele en avontuurlijke plaat, die na meerdere luisterbeurten maar blijft groeien. Ze zijn ook niet voor niks ooit meegevraagd door Neurosis om als support act te fungeren. Goeie band!
- Robert de Leeuw
Zware Metalen.com
Monday, January 11, 2010
Review from Blistering.com (Canada)
Rating: 8,5/10
Although this release marks the debut effort for Switch Opens, a little further investigation reveals that this Stockholm-based act actually started out under the name of Fingerspitzengefühl. But after two full-length albums (2004’s self-titled effort and 2006’s Happy Doomsday), the group soon realised that if they were ever going to be accepted on a world scale, a change of name was called for.
Three years on, and the newly named Switch Opens (comprising of vocalist/bassist Jesper Skarin, guitarists Tomas Bergstrand and Mikael Tuominen and drummer Anders Bartonek) have returned with their latest effort, and once again it’s a strange journey through a whole host of sounds and influences that are difficult to pigeonhole into any one particular genre box.
If you were to lump a broad musical tag on this group, it would most likely be stoner rock. But Switch Opens aren’t what you would call the average stoner rock band in the vein of Kyuss, early Monster Magnet or early Queens Of The Stone Age. While there are some similarities with the mentioned acts, Switch Opens does manage to incorporate a greater sense of experimentalism into their sound, with touches of psychedelic rock, progressive rock and even a bit of punk being incorporated into their overall sound. While on paper it sounds like a complete mess, on CD, Switch Opens manage to make it work like a charm.
The opening track “Express Death” certainly lives up to part of its name, with the bass leading the charge in terms of a fast tempo. The swirling guitars provide some nice sounding space-like effects in the background, while Skarin’s vocals provide enough melody and aggression to give the song a strong sense of catchiness.
Despite its length, the slower and more Mastodon-like “Pyramids” is a strong track, with the band providing enough twists and turns throughout to keep things interesting, while raucous and rather impressive “Paper Walls” introduces a greater punk rock edge to the band’s sound, before transforming into a huge riffing space rock extravaganza for its concluding half.
“He Dives Down” is by far the most experimental and eclectic offering on the album, with twin harmonised guitars, acoustic guitars and a rumbling bass line throughout pitted against distorted vocals, while the shorter Black Sabbath riffed “Lucky Me, Lucky You” is a huge ball of energetic rock.
While most of the album works, there are a couple of tracks that don’t quite measure up. At just over nine minutes long, “Terra Incognita” tends to drag on a little (even if it does have some great ideas), while “Super Globe Of Pain” is a little plodding in places. But despite a couple of less than stellar moments, the band finishes up the album in a strong manner with the rocking “The Electric Hour.”
Unlike a lot of stoner acts, Switch Opens manage to think outside the box, and incorporate a whole host of influences into their sound, making them one of the most interesting acts within the scene. Switch Opens’ debut may not be entirely consistent from start to finish, but there’s more than enough here to make it interesting and worth checking out.
By: Justin Donnelly
Blistering.com
Although this release marks the debut effort for Switch Opens, a little further investigation reveals that this Stockholm-based act actually started out under the name of Fingerspitzengefühl. But after two full-length albums (2004’s self-titled effort and 2006’s Happy Doomsday), the group soon realised that if they were ever going to be accepted on a world scale, a change of name was called for.
Three years on, and the newly named Switch Opens (comprising of vocalist/bassist Jesper Skarin, guitarists Tomas Bergstrand and Mikael Tuominen and drummer Anders Bartonek) have returned with their latest effort, and once again it’s a strange journey through a whole host of sounds and influences that are difficult to pigeonhole into any one particular genre box.
If you were to lump a broad musical tag on this group, it would most likely be stoner rock. But Switch Opens aren’t what you would call the average stoner rock band in the vein of Kyuss, early Monster Magnet or early Queens Of The Stone Age. While there are some similarities with the mentioned acts, Switch Opens does manage to incorporate a greater sense of experimentalism into their sound, with touches of psychedelic rock, progressive rock and even a bit of punk being incorporated into their overall sound. While on paper it sounds like a complete mess, on CD, Switch Opens manage to make it work like a charm.
The opening track “Express Death” certainly lives up to part of its name, with the bass leading the charge in terms of a fast tempo. The swirling guitars provide some nice sounding space-like effects in the background, while Skarin’s vocals provide enough melody and aggression to give the song a strong sense of catchiness.
Despite its length, the slower and more Mastodon-like “Pyramids” is a strong track, with the band providing enough twists and turns throughout to keep things interesting, while raucous and rather impressive “Paper Walls” introduces a greater punk rock edge to the band’s sound, before transforming into a huge riffing space rock extravaganza for its concluding half.
“He Dives Down” is by far the most experimental and eclectic offering on the album, with twin harmonised guitars, acoustic guitars and a rumbling bass line throughout pitted against distorted vocals, while the shorter Black Sabbath riffed “Lucky Me, Lucky You” is a huge ball of energetic rock.
While most of the album works, there are a couple of tracks that don’t quite measure up. At just over nine minutes long, “Terra Incognita” tends to drag on a little (even if it does have some great ideas), while “Super Globe Of Pain” is a little plodding in places. But despite a couple of less than stellar moments, the band finishes up the album in a strong manner with the rocking “The Electric Hour.”
Unlike a lot of stoner acts, Switch Opens manage to think outside the box, and incorporate a whole host of influences into their sound, making them one of the most interesting acts within the scene. Switch Opens’ debut may not be entirely consistent from start to finish, but there’s more than enough here to make it interesting and worth checking out.
By: Justin Donnelly
Blistering.com
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Review from The Metal Observer
Rating: 8/10
There are days when you sit up until late at night and you simply do not have any interest to go to bed, urinate or eat, even though you feel the desperate need to do such. Well what do you do in a time like that? Look for a doctor and get checked up for insomnia? Contemplate which album you're going to listen to next? Masturbate? There are a lot of possibilities on how to carry on with your feeble life, one of them is to simply take it easy, clear your head and listen to some decent harmless stoner music. That's where Sweden's newcomer SWITCH OPENS comes into function to take you to their own personal chill-out-zone.
Stoner Rock/Metal has always been a peculiar scene, with a lot of ups and downs in the music, sometimes really really hard to differentiate between the "Doom" side and the actual "Stoner" side. As early as SABBATH, the music was designed to take you through the darkest hallways of your mind and disconnect you from anything that bothered you. It's interesting that although so much time has passed, the basic formula still works for the typical slow style of music. As other styles, it has developed alongside its parallel evolution with gadgets and digital mastering/rendering/whatever to a sea of unlimited possibilities where even the most abstract imagination can be translated into something audible.
SWITCH OPEN's' debut, which is another brainchild of the 21st century is actually a pretty good start for a new band, easily securing the path to a bright future. The gimmicks are there, the use of modern electronics is omnipresent and creates that dramatic post-modern feeling modern music should incorporate, but something floats about in the overall feeling that makes you wonder about a couple of things. One aspect is the really strange, almost Nu-Metal-ish approach to Stoner Metal. The vocals are quite weak sometimes and resemble either a dog ("Paper Walls"), a screamo attempt or simply "KoRn". Apart from some regressive deliveries, the vocals are overall decent, with a nice rasp to them and fit with the rest of the music nicely, mostly when he doesn't try to scream, but varies between a relatively clean singing to a sort of half-sung rasp. The songs themselves, to be more exact: the instrumental parts, create most of the creepy and eerie atmosphere that will grasp you by the neck and pull you down. The music sometimes reminds me of a mixture between Desert Rock classics such as KYUSS or QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, but have a heavier feeling to them, while still keeping their subliminal message. A definite good start and interesting future awaits these Swedish warriors.
The Metal Observer
There are days when you sit up until late at night and you simply do not have any interest to go to bed, urinate or eat, even though you feel the desperate need to do such. Well what do you do in a time like that? Look for a doctor and get checked up for insomnia? Contemplate which album you're going to listen to next? Masturbate? There are a lot of possibilities on how to carry on with your feeble life, one of them is to simply take it easy, clear your head and listen to some decent harmless stoner music. That's where Sweden's newcomer SWITCH OPENS comes into function to take you to their own personal chill-out-zone.
Stoner Rock/Metal has always been a peculiar scene, with a lot of ups and downs in the music, sometimes really really hard to differentiate between the "Doom" side and the actual "Stoner" side. As early as SABBATH, the music was designed to take you through the darkest hallways of your mind and disconnect you from anything that bothered you. It's interesting that although so much time has passed, the basic formula still works for the typical slow style of music. As other styles, it has developed alongside its parallel evolution with gadgets and digital mastering/rendering/whatever to a sea of unlimited possibilities where even the most abstract imagination can be translated into something audible.
SWITCH OPEN's' debut, which is another brainchild of the 21st century is actually a pretty good start for a new band, easily securing the path to a bright future. The gimmicks are there, the use of modern electronics is omnipresent and creates that dramatic post-modern feeling modern music should incorporate, but something floats about in the overall feeling that makes you wonder about a couple of things. One aspect is the really strange, almost Nu-Metal-ish approach to Stoner Metal. The vocals are quite weak sometimes and resemble either a dog ("Paper Walls"), a screamo attempt or simply "KoRn". Apart from some regressive deliveries, the vocals are overall decent, with a nice rasp to them and fit with the rest of the music nicely, mostly when he doesn't try to scream, but varies between a relatively clean singing to a sort of half-sung rasp. The songs themselves, to be more exact: the instrumental parts, create most of the creepy and eerie atmosphere that will grasp you by the neck and pull you down. The music sometimes reminds me of a mixture between Desert Rock classics such as KYUSS or QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, but have a heavier feeling to them, while still keeping their subliminal message. A definite good start and interesting future awaits these Swedish warriors.
The Metal Observer
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Review from Kinda Muzik (Holland)
Hoewel Neurosis Switch Opens (voorheen Fingerspitzengefühl) omarmd heeft, valt het Zweedse viertal niet onder de enorme groep klonen van de aanvoerder van het genre. Switch Opens is te eigenzinnig om slechts te volgen, wat niet automatisch een positie als grote leider garandeert.
Aanvankelijk laat de band zich maar moeilijk taggen. Melodie voert de boventoon in het zeven minuten durende postpunkpareltje 'Express Death', dat op de voet gevolgd wordt door een stevige Crowbar flirt in 'Pyramids'. Gaandeweg zetelt Switch Opens zich in de mid-tempo regionen, daarbij constant wakend om niet op te gaan in de postmetalmassa. Liever ziet de band zich in gezelschap van Unsane, als we de ritmesectie mogen geloven.
Het titelloze album levert behalve tempo ook aan kracht in. De eerste drie nummers komen hard binnen en tonen de meerdere gezichten van de band. Aan die geslaagde serie openingsstoten weet men maar mondjesmaat gevolg te geven, wat resulteert in niemendalletjes 'Terra Incognita' en 'Superglobe of Pain'. Samen met de ritmesectie is vocalist Jesper Skarin degene die Switch Opens het hoofd boven water houdt. Zijn stemgeluid is de kameleon die zich probleemloos aanpast aan een nummer, zonder zangkwaliteiten te camoufleren.
Switch Opens bezit het magische verrassingselement dat nodig is om de oren van een geoefende luisteraar te spitsen. Bij een volgend album is het zaak om de aandacht niet te laten verslappen, zodat zwakke schakels overboord kunnen.
Tekst: Ruud van Esch
Kinda Muzik
Aanvankelijk laat de band zich maar moeilijk taggen. Melodie voert de boventoon in het zeven minuten durende postpunkpareltje 'Express Death', dat op de voet gevolgd wordt door een stevige Crowbar flirt in 'Pyramids'. Gaandeweg zetelt Switch Opens zich in de mid-tempo regionen, daarbij constant wakend om niet op te gaan in de postmetalmassa. Liever ziet de band zich in gezelschap van Unsane, als we de ritmesectie mogen geloven.
Het titelloze album levert behalve tempo ook aan kracht in. De eerste drie nummers komen hard binnen en tonen de meerdere gezichten van de band. Aan die geslaagde serie openingsstoten weet men maar mondjesmaat gevolg te geven, wat resulteert in niemendalletjes 'Terra Incognita' en 'Superglobe of Pain'. Samen met de ritmesectie is vocalist Jesper Skarin degene die Switch Opens het hoofd boven water houdt. Zijn stemgeluid is de kameleon die zich probleemloos aanpast aan een nummer, zonder zangkwaliteiten te camoufleren.
Switch Opens bezit het magische verrassingselement dat nodig is om de oren van een geoefende luisteraar te spitsen. Bij een volgend album is het zaak om de aandacht niet te laten verslappen, zodat zwakke schakels overboord kunnen.
Tekst: Ruud van Esch
Kinda Muzik
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Review from Musicxtra (UK)
I thought Switch Opens from Stockholm, had a terrible name until I discovered that they were originally called FINGERSPITZENGEFÜHL. But what’s in a name eh?
Switch Opens' first eponymous release - although they recorded two albums with their unpronounceable name - is an impressively downbeat stomping affair combining extended musical workouts, as most songs are around the seven minute mark, with an accessible groove and a combo of clean and barked vocals.
Opener Express Death is driven along by a pounding Motorhead-esque bass riff and a catchy vocal line, and it’s instantly apparent that the band has been playing together for a while, as they change gears through various grooves, and through extended riffage workouts, let the music evolve.
Pyramids is a heavy brooding song, while He Dives Down has an amazing melodic instrumental break that comes unexpectedly from amid a slowburning grind of sludgy bass guitar.
Lucky Me, Lucky You is a stand out track, and is probably as close as they come to traditional rock norms, with a chugging main guitar strum, and some melodic breaks, but it is still leftfield sounding compared to the run-of-the-mill rock music around now!
The Electric Hour boasts some great drum patterns that remind me of Tool.
Musically they excel in atonal doomy rhythmic forms, and squeeze the most potential out of their riffs, by having them grind on for minutes at a time without vocal interference. There aren’t a lot of lead guitar breaks or flashy solo spots, but everyone mucks in to keep the bands engine ticking along nicely.
It’s not easy to classify which genre Switch Opens belong. They hark back almost to prog sensibilities in that they play extended arrangements of their riffs and throw in unexpected musical direction changes. But they also remind me of the sludgy days of grunge, with their bass heavy riffing and plodding pace, and even throw in a catchy vocal line or two, such as on Super Globe of Pain.
They aren’t particularly modern sounding, but they are still a breath of fresh air when compared to the repetitive formulaic dross around in music at the moment.
If you are looking for something a little different from the mainstream, then Switch Opens are a highly recommended alternative to the norm. As much as I dug this album, the long passages of bass-laden, doomy riffage that make up the bulk of their material may not be to some people’s tastes.
Stoners however need look no further!
by Steven Hargraves
Musicxtra
Switch Opens' first eponymous release - although they recorded two albums with their unpronounceable name - is an impressively downbeat stomping affair combining extended musical workouts, as most songs are around the seven minute mark, with an accessible groove and a combo of clean and barked vocals.
Opener Express Death is driven along by a pounding Motorhead-esque bass riff and a catchy vocal line, and it’s instantly apparent that the band has been playing together for a while, as they change gears through various grooves, and through extended riffage workouts, let the music evolve.
Pyramids is a heavy brooding song, while He Dives Down has an amazing melodic instrumental break that comes unexpectedly from amid a slowburning grind of sludgy bass guitar.
Lucky Me, Lucky You is a stand out track, and is probably as close as they come to traditional rock norms, with a chugging main guitar strum, and some melodic breaks, but it is still leftfield sounding compared to the run-of-the-mill rock music around now!
The Electric Hour boasts some great drum patterns that remind me of Tool.
Musically they excel in atonal doomy rhythmic forms, and squeeze the most potential out of their riffs, by having them grind on for minutes at a time without vocal interference. There aren’t a lot of lead guitar breaks or flashy solo spots, but everyone mucks in to keep the bands engine ticking along nicely.
It’s not easy to classify which genre Switch Opens belong. They hark back almost to prog sensibilities in that they play extended arrangements of their riffs and throw in unexpected musical direction changes. But they also remind me of the sludgy days of grunge, with their bass heavy riffing and plodding pace, and even throw in a catchy vocal line or two, such as on Super Globe of Pain.
They aren’t particularly modern sounding, but they are still a breath of fresh air when compared to the repetitive formulaic dross around in music at the moment.
If you are looking for something a little different from the mainstream, then Switch Opens are a highly recommended alternative to the norm. As much as I dug this album, the long passages of bass-laden, doomy riffage that make up the bulk of their material may not be to some people’s tastes.
Stoners however need look no further!
by Steven Hargraves
Musicxtra
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Review from Über Rock (UK)
This self-titled debut album from Switch Opens is unquestionably a curious, unpredictable and ostentatious offering of the grandest proportions that appears to have divided opinions in the Über Röck camp, the obvious question being "Am I in the love it or hate it camp?"
Although 'Switch Opens' is technically their debut album, the Swedish rockers have released a further two albums under the outlandish moniker Fingerspitzengefuhl, apparently deciding on a name change after discovering it means something offensive in certain parts of the world (I've tried Googling it but to no avail, fellow smut peddlers).
The artwork to the album features an illustration of a man flicking a switch attached to his brain, and nothing could be more appropriate as you open your mind to 'Switch Opens' and prepare yourself be taken on a musical voyage of the bizarre and insane ranking a full number 9 on mind fucking scale of magnitude.
Album opener and, incidentally, album highlight is the joyous wonder of 'Express Death', an impressive, rollercoaster ride of flamboyant, progressive rock that features a fantastic Geddy Lee-esque vocal technique that fits the song effortlessly.
We are next greeted by the sensational, stoner, space rock triumph of 'Pyramids' featuring an almost death metal growl from vocalist/bassist Jesper Skarin. 'Paper Walls' meanwhile are something you certainly don't want fitted in your new semi Barrett home if Switch Opens are your new neighbours as they plunge you back into death metal territory, but not before fusing it with a huge wedge of stoned-as-fuck progressive rock just for good measure.
'He Dives Down' evokes memories of flared jeans, platform boots and for some follically challenged Über Röck scribe's flowing curtain locks of hair, as Switch Opens descend into a Seventies Sabbath doom laden groove.
As the nine minute 'Terra Incognita' leads you down an atmospheric passage of musical distinction you could be forgiven for thinking that you were listening to a vintage instrumental number from King Crimson before it transforms into a true majestic rock belter.
'Lucky Me Lucky You' is a more straight forward up tempo rock number featuring a more punked up, screaming vocal style than the rest of the album; that leads nicely into the heavy groove of 'Super Globe Of Pain'. 'The Electric Hour' finishes the album in fine style, imploding in a mass of psychedelic, progressive, metal splendour.
The verdict on Switch Opens from this Über Röcker is....I fucking love 'em; in a world of musical mediocrity Switch Opens hold a rare glimpse of true sanctuary.
Written by David Whistance
Über Rock
Although 'Switch Opens' is technically their debut album, the Swedish rockers have released a further two albums under the outlandish moniker Fingerspitzengefuhl, apparently deciding on a name change after discovering it means something offensive in certain parts of the world (I've tried Googling it but to no avail, fellow smut peddlers).
The artwork to the album features an illustration of a man flicking a switch attached to his brain, and nothing could be more appropriate as you open your mind to 'Switch Opens' and prepare yourself be taken on a musical voyage of the bizarre and insane ranking a full number 9 on mind fucking scale of magnitude.
Album opener and, incidentally, album highlight is the joyous wonder of 'Express Death', an impressive, rollercoaster ride of flamboyant, progressive rock that features a fantastic Geddy Lee-esque vocal technique that fits the song effortlessly.
We are next greeted by the sensational, stoner, space rock triumph of 'Pyramids' featuring an almost death metal growl from vocalist/bassist Jesper Skarin. 'Paper Walls' meanwhile are something you certainly don't want fitted in your new semi Barrett home if Switch Opens are your new neighbours as they plunge you back into death metal territory, but not before fusing it with a huge wedge of stoned-as-fuck progressive rock just for good measure.
'He Dives Down' evokes memories of flared jeans, platform boots and for some follically challenged Über Röck scribe's flowing curtain locks of hair, as Switch Opens descend into a Seventies Sabbath doom laden groove.
As the nine minute 'Terra Incognita' leads you down an atmospheric passage of musical distinction you could be forgiven for thinking that you were listening to a vintage instrumental number from King Crimson before it transforms into a true majestic rock belter.
'Lucky Me Lucky You' is a more straight forward up tempo rock number featuring a more punked up, screaming vocal style than the rest of the album; that leads nicely into the heavy groove of 'Super Globe Of Pain'. 'The Electric Hour' finishes the album in fine style, imploding in a mass of psychedelic, progressive, metal splendour.
The verdict on Switch Opens from this Über Röcker is....I fucking love 'em; in a world of musical mediocrity Switch Opens hold a rare glimpse of true sanctuary.
Written by David Whistance
Über Rock
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Review from Progressive Waves (France)
Rating: 8,0/10
Switch Opens propose un Stoner métal souvent proche du Doom aux influences progressives et psychédéliques assez prononcées. Le chanteur se veut très expressif et incisif, donnant l’impression de tout donner sur chacune de ses prestations. Le résultat est efficace, dans la tradition du genre, avec de longs titres bien heavy, 7 au total, pour 50 minutes de musique
L’entrée en matière de cette galette est assez percutante. Le premier titre « Express Death » est très rapide avec un pilonnage des guitares et de la batterie pour un résultat efficace et très moderne faisant penser un peu aux Queens of the Stone Age. Par la suite, la formation propose des titres plus clairement Doom avec le très heavy « Pyramids », porté par un chant caverneux très impressionnant, une rythmique pachydermique et un break instrumental sorte de croisement entre Black Sabbath et Cathedral, suivi de « Paper Walls » caractérisé par un chant hurlé dans le style d’un Devin Townsend et magnifié par un splendide passage acoustique d’inspiration 70’s. S’ensuit la plus intimiste « He Dives Down » dont les quelques passages acoustiques agrémentent parfaitement une chanson assez inquiétante, très stoner rock dans l’âme et dans laquelle plane une fois de plus l’ombre de Black Sabbath sur des soli qui nous renvoient directement à l’époque de Master of Reality.
Mais c’est avec sur les neufs minutes de Terra Incognita que Switch Open se montre le plus ambitieux. Le groupe propose un titre purement Doom avec une basse mise très en avant sur toute l’introduction créant une atmosphère toute particulière. Puis tout doucement, on glisse dans un univers presque psychédélique, sans jamais perdre l’aspect Doom, avec un riff de guitare discret mais efficace et des vocaux lents et sombres. L’esprit d’un Neurosis n’est pas loin avec un aspect mélancolique et progressif très prenant.
La fin de l’album est à l’avenant et ne présente aucune faiblesse avec notamment le plus court et aéré « Lucky me, Lucky You », sorte de mixe entre Mastodon et Black Sabbath ou « Super Globe of Pain » et son atmosphère plus purement stoner rock.
Ce premier album sous le nom de Switch Opens est donc une réussite complète qui devrait ravir les fans du genre. Après Neurosis et Mastodon, cette scène Doom progressive tient sans nul doute un nouveau futur grand nom qui a toutes les cartes en main pour exploser auprès d’un large public.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Review from Hardrock Haven (USA)
Rating: 7/10
Having abandoned their barely pronounceable former name, this Swedish quartet has now released their third album under the new name Switch Opens. An intense, earnest and highly experimental affair it makes a bold stab at conceptualism from the very first track. Putting you off kilter with a deceptively simplistic dance-tingled electronica set over a propulsive punk groove, the opener “Express Death” discards the clever disguise after the first few minutes to reveal what this release is really about. This is where we get the first whiff of the band’s trademark heavy stoner riffs, neurotic minimalist guitar and a propensity towards prog-rock avant-garde.
It all continues from then on: more stoner-inspired grooves, more dirty and deliberately crude guitar leads, plus oscillations of singer Jasper Skarin’s voice between crisp and airy indie rock tone and borderline growling. The latter, however, he has enough intelligence not to overdo or to engage in too often.
Cutting through fleeting obsessions with Eastern modalities, punk riffs and brief nods to Black Sabbath, the magnum opus of the record, “Terra Incognita”, finally reveals the band’s real ambition. While knowing how to amuse, Switch Opens also want to reach beyond the servile function of pure entertainment and even beyond experimentation, and on this track they dig deeper into the realm of pure conceptualism.
Technique makes a sizable step back to make way for sound and rhythm striving toward a purpose beyond genres, styles and purposes they serve. The concept is to create an inimitable atmosphere while discarding any allegiance to history or tradition. Amazingly, here the band succeeds, and their stabs in different stylistic directions and experiments with creating their own environment, work.
In the end, this release proves a fascinating record to get into - unexpected, well-thought-through and with an element of surprise lurking around ever corner. The band’s eclectic choices which drive them to go from doom metal to folk and from contemporary phsychedelia to industrial music and beyond is what keeps you on your toes. Once they learn who to consistently cohere these at times conflicting urges into one whole, we will be able to call this band a revelation. So far they remain a tantalisingly intriguing band and definitely the one you would want to catch up on live - just to see how the motley tapestry of their eclectic style would survive outside of the studio.
- Alissa Ordabai
Hardrock Haven
Having abandoned their barely pronounceable former name, this Swedish quartet has now released their third album under the new name Switch Opens. An intense, earnest and highly experimental affair it makes a bold stab at conceptualism from the very first track. Putting you off kilter with a deceptively simplistic dance-tingled electronica set over a propulsive punk groove, the opener “Express Death” discards the clever disguise after the first few minutes to reveal what this release is really about. This is where we get the first whiff of the band’s trademark heavy stoner riffs, neurotic minimalist guitar and a propensity towards prog-rock avant-garde.
It all continues from then on: more stoner-inspired grooves, more dirty and deliberately crude guitar leads, plus oscillations of singer Jasper Skarin’s voice between crisp and airy indie rock tone and borderline growling. The latter, however, he has enough intelligence not to overdo or to engage in too often.
Cutting through fleeting obsessions with Eastern modalities, punk riffs and brief nods to Black Sabbath, the magnum opus of the record, “Terra Incognita”, finally reveals the band’s real ambition. While knowing how to amuse, Switch Opens also want to reach beyond the servile function of pure entertainment and even beyond experimentation, and on this track they dig deeper into the realm of pure conceptualism.
Technique makes a sizable step back to make way for sound and rhythm striving toward a purpose beyond genres, styles and purposes they serve. The concept is to create an inimitable atmosphere while discarding any allegiance to history or tradition. Amazingly, here the band succeeds, and their stabs in different stylistic directions and experiments with creating their own environment, work.
In the end, this release proves a fascinating record to get into - unexpected, well-thought-through and with an element of surprise lurking around ever corner. The band’s eclectic choices which drive them to go from doom metal to folk and from contemporary phsychedelia to industrial music and beyond is what keeps you on your toes. Once they learn who to consistently cohere these at times conflicting urges into one whole, we will be able to call this band a revelation. So far they remain a tantalisingly intriguing band and definitely the one you would want to catch up on live - just to see how the motley tapestry of their eclectic style would survive outside of the studio.
- Alissa Ordabai
Hardrock Haven
Review from Fury Rocks (Holland)
Rating: 7,9/10
In the (very short) biography that accompanies this release they state that Switch Opens uses very heavy progressive rock as its basis. That does stick, just as the bit about them getting their influences from every nook and cranny available. That does and doesn’t please me one bit.
Purely because I have no idea how to classify this properly. One thing is for sure, this is metal! And very good metal at that. I do love a band that really tries to step outside the comfort zone. Especially when they make it all sound so natural, instead of the forced entries you regularly hear.
Musically Switch Opens is well built. The songs are powerful and by not giving them a smooth production and keeping them rough around the edges. The latter is emphasized by the pounding bass guitar. On top of that there is this singer who has an incredibly flexible voice that always seems to fit the music perfectly. These vocals give the whole thing that uniqueness that a lot of new blood lacks. I just can’t help but love the stubbornness these guys have, as it reminds me of Mastodon en Keelhaul, only a little less explosive. And that is where the prog element rears its ugly head.
Switch Opens is an album full of beautiful progressive passages that would also fit bands like Voi Vod and Opeth, but also wouldn’t go amiss with Porcupine Tree and Prong. And of course the two bands I mentioned earlier. I can understand if you are now completely lost as to classifying Switch Opens, but I just can’t think of any other names that pop up.
In fact, I think I shouldn’t mention anyone at all, as this is more than good enough to stand up on its own accord. That is, if you love music that gets you brain working. If you do appreciate that a band doesn’t serve you a readymade meal or finely sliced bread. If you are one who can enjoy a musical exploration trip. If you are, you will find me at your side.
- Wim van Grunsven
Fury Rocks
In the (very short) biography that accompanies this release they state that Switch Opens uses very heavy progressive rock as its basis. That does stick, just as the bit about them getting their influences from every nook and cranny available. That does and doesn’t please me one bit.
Purely because I have no idea how to classify this properly. One thing is for sure, this is metal! And very good metal at that. I do love a band that really tries to step outside the comfort zone. Especially when they make it all sound so natural, instead of the forced entries you regularly hear.
Musically Switch Opens is well built. The songs are powerful and by not giving them a smooth production and keeping them rough around the edges. The latter is emphasized by the pounding bass guitar. On top of that there is this singer who has an incredibly flexible voice that always seems to fit the music perfectly. These vocals give the whole thing that uniqueness that a lot of new blood lacks. I just can’t help but love the stubbornness these guys have, as it reminds me of Mastodon en Keelhaul, only a little less explosive. And that is where the prog element rears its ugly head.
Switch Opens is an album full of beautiful progressive passages that would also fit bands like Voi Vod and Opeth, but also wouldn’t go amiss with Porcupine Tree and Prong. And of course the two bands I mentioned earlier. I can understand if you are now completely lost as to classifying Switch Opens, but I just can’t think of any other names that pop up.
In fact, I think I shouldn’t mention anyone at all, as this is more than good enough to stand up on its own accord. That is, if you love music that gets you brain working. If you do appreciate that a band doesn’t serve you a readymade meal or finely sliced bread. If you are one who can enjoy a musical exploration trip. If you are, you will find me at your side.
- Wim van Grunsven
Fury Rocks
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Review from Aardschok Magazine (Holland)
Rating: 81/100
Sommige bands blazen je vanaf de eerste seconde omver, en andere pakken je beetje bij beetse in om je vervolgens geen moment meer los te laten. Switch Opens (waarschijnlijk vernoemd naar het gelijknamige nummer van Soundgarden) is er een in die laatste categorie. Deze Zweedse band, die onder naam Fingerspitzengefühl al twee CD's uitbracht, komt nu met die titelloze 'debuutalbum', dat fans van bands als Burst en Bison B.C. zal anspreken. De muziek, die bestaat uit moddervette riffs in combinatie met groovende bas- en drumpartijen en vuige zang, klingt op het eerste gehoor niet al te bijzonder, maar halverwege moet je opeens concluderen dat Switch Opens je als een sluipmoordenaar heeft overmeesterd. Op dit album kom je dan ook geen duidelijke uitschieters tegen; je moet het meer zien als één stuk muziek van ruim vijftig minuten dat in acht stukken is geknipt. Het enige moment waarop je echt even je oren moet spitsen, is tijdens de break in "Lucky Me, Lucky You", waarin alle instrumenten tegelijkertijd naar een erg gave climax toewerken. Als je 'Switch Opens' de tijd geeft, zal dit album je niet teleurstellen.
- Rudi Engel
Review from Metal Factory (Switzerland)
Rating: 8,7/10
Groove, Groove und nichts anderes als Groove dominiert die 51 Minuten der früher unter dem selten dämlichen Namen "Fingerspitzengefühl" (sic!) agierenden Schweden von Switch Opens. Eigentlich bieten die Stockholmer 70er Jahre-Rock bei dem Einflüsse von Canned Heat, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Raconteurs oder Cathedral ebenso vertreten sind wie diverse analoge Soundspielereien. Das Grundgerüst wird eigentlich nur vom tighten Schlagzeugspiel und dem unglaublich drückenden, knurrenden Bass getragen. Die Gitarren verkommen dabei neben Rythmusunterstützung und ein paar Twin-Angriffen fast zu einem Mittel zum Zweck und füllen die Zwischenräume des bereits extrem dichten Soundgewands der Rythmusabteilung mit sphärischen Klängen, verklärten Soli und LSD-beeinflusstem Noise. Über allem thront der melodische, aber rauhe und mehr als nur intensive Gesang des Bassisten, der mir des öfteren eine amtliche Gänsehaut bescherte. Ein nahezu perfektes Album für fast alle Lebenslagen, sei es für den betrunkenen Heimweg, um nach der Arbeit runter zu kommen, ein verschwitztes Schäferstündchen oder einen energetischen Kifferabend. Die saubere, aber dreckige und extrem dynamische Produktion lässt dabei Übersongs wie den Opener "Express Death", "Paper Walls" oder "Lucky Me, Lucky You" noch besser erstrahlen und gefällt mir persönlich ausserordentlich. Ich begegne dieser Spielart von Switch Opens zum ersten Mal, bin aber auf Anhieb ziemlich begeistert. Denn es regt niedere Instinkte an, hat auch in den ruhigen Momenten unterschwellige Power zu bieten und kriegt deshalb und wegen der sehr gelungenen Machart zwei fette Daumen nach oben.
- Hardy
- Hardy
Friday, October 23, 2009
Review from Sonic Dice (UK)
Rating: 5/6
Switch Opens are a Stockholm based 4-piece and were actually named Fingerspitzengefühl before 2006. I am glad they changed it.
This, their self-titled album, immediately gets my attention. Not only does the intro have what I think is an echoplex effect which starts off with the faintest hint of feedback, looping around before trailing off into the atmosphere, but the bass and drums thunderclap into an aggressive Motorhead-style verse. I thought: yep, this could be a pretty straight-up crusty and fuzzy rockin’ band. And they are, but Switch Opens have created an album with an incredible amount of depth and dexterity around the core of driving doom rock.
The first track Express Death continues with the same driving force, whilst soaring phaser fx guitars glide over the top. The vocals complement the melodic playing before a change of direction in the track. Screams, shouts, off-kilter drums and strong Queens Of The Stone Age-sounding riffs dominate the rest of the track. It’s a lengthy track at a tad over 7 minutes long, but the majority of the tracks are over 5 minutes. Jesper Skarin’s vocals hiss and snarl just as much as the bass fizzes through the album. There is an authoritative air about the delivery of the tracks and one of a great deal of intent and force, in the same way each of the personalities of Mastodon manage to push their own individual styles in their music. No instruments hide in the background looking sheepish; you can hear the multiple guitars clearly in a way they are meant to be heard. For instance, on Paper Walls and He Dives Down there are moments of acoustic playing, but they are never hidden; there is even enough space left in the mix for the odd solo as well.
The forceful nature of the album continues with Terra Incognita, a doomy/psychedelic album with a real nod towards Neurosis. There are heaps of sustain on the bass and, at times, the guitar-playing suggests to me what Kim Thayil would have sounded like if Soundgarden had been a bit darker. Super Globe Of Pain slows things down even further. In fact, the last few tracks sink deep into a sludgy doom fest with a bass-heavy production, like bands such as Bongzilla, Electric Wizard and End Of Level Boss, but without containing too much of an Iommi influence. After listening to the first track I would not have guessed I would end up here, and that is a very good thing.
- Rich E.
For Fans Of: Mastodon, Bongzilla, High On Fire
Sonic Dice
Switch Opens are a Stockholm based 4-piece and were actually named Fingerspitzengefühl before 2006. I am glad they changed it.
This, their self-titled album, immediately gets my attention. Not only does the intro have what I think is an echoplex effect which starts off with the faintest hint of feedback, looping around before trailing off into the atmosphere, but the bass and drums thunderclap into an aggressive Motorhead-style verse. I thought: yep, this could be a pretty straight-up crusty and fuzzy rockin’ band. And they are, but Switch Opens have created an album with an incredible amount of depth and dexterity around the core of driving doom rock.
The first track Express Death continues with the same driving force, whilst soaring phaser fx guitars glide over the top. The vocals complement the melodic playing before a change of direction in the track. Screams, shouts, off-kilter drums and strong Queens Of The Stone Age-sounding riffs dominate the rest of the track. It’s a lengthy track at a tad over 7 minutes long, but the majority of the tracks are over 5 minutes. Jesper Skarin’s vocals hiss and snarl just as much as the bass fizzes through the album. There is an authoritative air about the delivery of the tracks and one of a great deal of intent and force, in the same way each of the personalities of Mastodon manage to push their own individual styles in their music. No instruments hide in the background looking sheepish; you can hear the multiple guitars clearly in a way they are meant to be heard. For instance, on Paper Walls and He Dives Down there are moments of acoustic playing, but they are never hidden; there is even enough space left in the mix for the odd solo as well.
The forceful nature of the album continues with Terra Incognita, a doomy/psychedelic album with a real nod towards Neurosis. There are heaps of sustain on the bass and, at times, the guitar-playing suggests to me what Kim Thayil would have sounded like if Soundgarden had been a bit darker. Super Globe Of Pain slows things down even further. In fact, the last few tracks sink deep into a sludgy doom fest with a bass-heavy production, like bands such as Bongzilla, Electric Wizard and End Of Level Boss, but without containing too much of an Iommi influence. After listening to the first track I would not have guessed I would end up here, and that is a very good thing.
- Rich E.
For Fans Of: Mastodon, Bongzilla, High On Fire
Sonic Dice
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Review from Organ Magazine (UK)
A rather decent, rather different blend of alternative imaginative metal flavoured rock from Stockholm, Sweden. Touches of folk in there, real taste progressive adventure, cathartic riffs, rather impressively decent, rather adventurous heavy alternative rock, a band with a blend of colour all of their own, a band who clearly need to be a little different. The results are well worth your time.
Review from Metal Discovery (UK)
Rating: 9/10
'Switch Opens' is the self-titled debut album of the newly branded Swedish band Fingerspitzengefühl, apparently releasing two albums under this previous moniker before changing names to the less phonetically challenging Switch Opens. As I sit there wondering if the name was lifted from the Soundgarden song bearing this title, second track 'Pyramids' kicks in with its dirty bass-heavy guitar driven sounds and grunge vibe, so I guess the influence extends beyond just the band's new name. However, this is only a minor part of Switch Opens' music. Opening song 'Express Death' is a much more up tempo affair that skilfully fuses groove metal with elements of punk aggression, psychedelia, and downright dirty fucked up mosh 'n' roll...okay that's the first 4 minutes, then the remainder of the song's seven minute playing time is occupied by musical dissonance and progressive time signatures. Bassist/vocalist Jesper Skarin delivers each lyric with sheer passion in a range of styles as disparate as the music - Devin Townsend style growling ('Paper Walls'), crust punk barks ('Lucky Me, Lucky You'), and a very amenable clean voice ('Super Globe of Pain'). The press release accompanying this promo states that "every song has its own, clear identity" and I certainly wouldn't disagree, although the series of compositions on offer, which vary between dirty, punk-edged metal, grunge, psychedelic stoner, and heavy prog-rock, are bound together by an absorbing finesse that is all too often lacking in other works that strive for so much diversity. Overloaded with original, heavy, catchy riffs that draw you into its infectious essence, 'Switch Opens' is an unpredictable ride from start to finish with twists and turns that will leave you breathless and wanting to hit the play button again straight after the album's finished. I've never particularly been a fan of labelling music (after all, there are just two genres, right?....music you like and music you don't), and I pity the poor journalists who do feel the perpetual need to classify everything they hear. This one will fuck 'em up good and proper! Take a look at the cover art - this is precisely what your brain will feel like upon digesting Switch Opens' music. Astonishing stuff. Go stimulate you mind right now.
- Mark Holmes
Metal Discovery
'Switch Opens' is the self-titled debut album of the newly branded Swedish band Fingerspitzengefühl, apparently releasing two albums under this previous moniker before changing names to the less phonetically challenging Switch Opens. As I sit there wondering if the name was lifted from the Soundgarden song bearing this title, second track 'Pyramids' kicks in with its dirty bass-heavy guitar driven sounds and grunge vibe, so I guess the influence extends beyond just the band's new name. However, this is only a minor part of Switch Opens' music. Opening song 'Express Death' is a much more up tempo affair that skilfully fuses groove metal with elements of punk aggression, psychedelia, and downright dirty fucked up mosh 'n' roll...okay that's the first 4 minutes, then the remainder of the song's seven minute playing time is occupied by musical dissonance and progressive time signatures. Bassist/vocalist Jesper Skarin delivers each lyric with sheer passion in a range of styles as disparate as the music - Devin Townsend style growling ('Paper Walls'), crust punk barks ('Lucky Me, Lucky You'), and a very amenable clean voice ('Super Globe of Pain'). The press release accompanying this promo states that "every song has its own, clear identity" and I certainly wouldn't disagree, although the series of compositions on offer, which vary between dirty, punk-edged metal, grunge, psychedelic stoner, and heavy prog-rock, are bound together by an absorbing finesse that is all too often lacking in other works that strive for so much diversity. Overloaded with original, heavy, catchy riffs that draw you into its infectious essence, 'Switch Opens' is an unpredictable ride from start to finish with twists and turns that will leave you breathless and wanting to hit the play button again straight after the album's finished. I've never particularly been a fan of labelling music (after all, there are just two genres, right?....music you like and music you don't), and I pity the poor journalists who do feel the perpetual need to classify everything they hear. This one will fuck 'em up good and proper! Take a look at the cover art - this is precisely what your brain will feel like upon digesting Switch Opens' music. Astonishing stuff. Go stimulate you mind right now.
- Mark Holmes
Metal Discovery
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Review from Fileunder.nl (Holland)
In de auto heb ik meestal m'n iPod op de shufflefunctie staan. De rauwe vocalen die me daarbij zo nu en dan tegemoet kwamen maakten me erg nieuwsgierig. Afgezien van Brian Johnson en Lemmy heb ik er daar niet zoveel van, maar deze rauwe vocalen - hoe beperkt ook - bevielen me goed. Na een paar keer wist ik dat dat Switch Opens was. Nu de hamvraag: zou ik het een album lang leuk blijven vinden? Het antwoord is een volmondig ja. Dit is hun derde album, zij het het eerste onder de naam Switch Opens. De vorige twee verschenen onder de commercieel hopeloze bandnaam Fingerspitzengefühl. Het gevoel voor commercie is er met de wijziging echter nog steeds niet, getuige de onbegrijpelijke en onbegrijpelijk lelijke hoes. Muzikaal is het echter lekker wat deze Zweden laten horen. Een mengeling van metal, punk, psychedelica, een enkele keer afgewisseld met een stukje progmetal, en dat alles in een soort doomverpakking. Subtiel is het zelden, het tempo ligt redelijk hoog en de acht songs zijn toch niet kort te noemen. Niettemin kreeg ik nergens het gevoel dat het nu wel eens afgelopen mocht zijn. Integendeel, de power en energie, de bas die de songs voortdrijft, de loodzware riffs in drop d-stemming die er overheen beuken, die stem van Jesper Skarin, het blijft steeds weer lekker. En dus blijf ik Switch Opens opzetten. En nog eens. En nog eens...
fileunder.nl
fileunder.nl
Review from EstMetal (Estonia)
Rating: 6,5/10
Switch Opens on 2000 aastal loodud kogenud muusikute punt Rootsist, Stockholmist, kuid esimest korda kuulsin neist alles sel aastal. Ja pole ka imestada, sest alles nüüd, sügisel on aeg küps, et bänd väljastaks oma esimese kauamängiva. Algselt meie jaoks ülikeerulise nime Fingerspitzengefühl all formeerud ansamblis on liikmetel nii doomi, deathi kui thrash metali tausta ja kogemusi (Rise And Shine, Moaning Wind, Dawn Of Decay jne). Eks seda on kuulda ka äsjailmunud omanimelisel debüütalbumil.
Switch Opens sisaldab endas kaheksat lugu, millede kogupikkuseks 51 minuti jagu vanakooli metalit ja rocki. Kuigi suurim rõhk on praegu populaarsuse laineharjal surfaval stoneril ja sludge metalil, toob bänd jõuliselt sisse mitmeid erinevaid nüansse. Hullutakse psühhedeelia piirimail, kangutatakse aeglast proto-doomi (Pyramids), poetatakse pilk proge-rocki seeliku alla ning küntakse koguni ironmaidenlikku heavy-põldu (Lucky Me, Lucky You). Album on vägagi mitmekesine, kus pea iga lugu omaette ooperist, samas on aga suudetud kõik omavahel seosesse ning ühtseks tervikuks seada. Suurim asi, mis mind häirib on aga vokaal, mille tämber samastub kõigi musttuhande kivimetalbändiga, mis üle kogu maailma laineid löövad. Vaid kohtades, kus kasutatakse madalamat häält, pääseb see kohe maksvusele ning parandab kogu loo kõla märgatavalt (Terra Incognita).
Kuigi tervikuna pole Switch Opens sugugi minu suurimate lemmikute seas, leidsin enda jaoks päris mitu väga head träkki ning üldmulje ei ole halb. Kahtlemata üks paremaid stoner-albumeid, mida ma kuulanud olen. Kindlasti leiaksid ka vanakooli doomi austajad siit nii mõndagi üllatavat, samuti võiksid igasuguse seitsmekümnendate raskerocki fanaatikud seda kuulata.
EstMetal
Switch Opens on 2000 aastal loodud kogenud muusikute punt Rootsist, Stockholmist, kuid esimest korda kuulsin neist alles sel aastal. Ja pole ka imestada, sest alles nüüd, sügisel on aeg küps, et bänd väljastaks oma esimese kauamängiva. Algselt meie jaoks ülikeerulise nime Fingerspitzengefühl all formeerud ansamblis on liikmetel nii doomi, deathi kui thrash metali tausta ja kogemusi (Rise And Shine, Moaning Wind, Dawn Of Decay jne). Eks seda on kuulda ka äsjailmunud omanimelisel debüütalbumil.
Switch Opens sisaldab endas kaheksat lugu, millede kogupikkuseks 51 minuti jagu vanakooli metalit ja rocki. Kuigi suurim rõhk on praegu populaarsuse laineharjal surfaval stoneril ja sludge metalil, toob bänd jõuliselt sisse mitmeid erinevaid nüansse. Hullutakse psühhedeelia piirimail, kangutatakse aeglast proto-doomi (Pyramids), poetatakse pilk proge-rocki seeliku alla ning küntakse koguni ironmaidenlikku heavy-põldu (Lucky Me, Lucky You). Album on vägagi mitmekesine, kus pea iga lugu omaette ooperist, samas on aga suudetud kõik omavahel seosesse ning ühtseks tervikuks seada. Suurim asi, mis mind häirib on aga vokaal, mille tämber samastub kõigi musttuhande kivimetalbändiga, mis üle kogu maailma laineid löövad. Vaid kohtades, kus kasutatakse madalamat häält, pääseb see kohe maksvusele ning parandab kogu loo kõla märgatavalt (Terra Incognita).
Kuigi tervikuna pole Switch Opens sugugi minu suurimate lemmikute seas, leidsin enda jaoks päris mitu väga head träkki ning üldmulje ei ole halb. Kahtlemata üks paremaid stoner-albumeid, mida ma kuulanud olen. Kindlasti leiaksid ka vanakooli doomi austajad siit nii mõndagi üllatavat, samuti võiksid igasuguse seitsmekümnendate raskerocki fanaatikud seda kuulata.
EstMetal
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
