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Waterdown

The Files You Have On Me (2003)
Victory Records

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Contributed by: Scott
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on April 1st 2003

A lot of you have been bitching lately that Victory Records has lost it's edge. With it's recent releases of bands like Snowdogs, the Reunion Show, and Count The Stars, as well as new signings like Spitalfield, a lot of you old hardcore kids who grew up on Snapcase and the like are feeling a little bit hung out to try. Well worry no longer, because Waterdown should soothe your stressed nerves while at the same time get you moshing in your computer chair.

Waterdown is a six-piece technical hardcore band hailing from over the Atlantic Ocean in Germany, to be exact, and their style [to my mostly virgin ears, by hardcore standards] seems to fall in between two former Victory bands - Boy Sets Fire and Thursday. Their sound is more focused and deliberate than that of Thursday's, and singers Marcel and Ingo are both better singers *and* screamers than anyone in that New Jersey outfit.

As for the Boy Sets Fire comparison, Waterdown's breakdowns seem to draw parallels to the moshing parts in slower BSF songs. Lyrically the band doesn't even come close to Nathan Gray's political poetry, but for a bunch of Germans writing and singing in English, it certaintly isn't a poor effort.

The disc has some obvious standouts in the first few tracks, of which "A Fortress" and "Transient" have become my favorites. "Xerox" shows more of a Quicksand-esque posthardcore element being injected into the mix, but it gets stale by the fourth minute of the song. The band has a hard time escaping their own formula for the rest of the album, using up most of their tricks in the first dozen minutes or so. Still, there's definitely potential here, and for those hardcore purists who are waiting for Victory to return to form, this might just be the release to reaffirm your belief in the label.

MP3
A Fortress

QUICKTIME AUDIO
A Fortress
Xerox
Transient

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Anonymous (April 5, 2003)

Guess what?? Madball actually released a 7-inch on Victory.

-Joe Warehouse

evildeadalive (April 4, 2003)

I like Cause For Alarm for oldschool Victory.

Anonymous (April 4, 2003)

"Snapcase - old school Victory?
What about Warzone or Madball?"

When in God's name was madball on victory records? What crack are you smoking. And yes Snapcase is old school victory the Comatose 7 inch is VR009 the 9th victory release ever. Thats pretty old school to me. BTW the first Warzone release on Victory is VR0011 two releases after Snapcase.

Know your shit before opening your mouth

Anonymous (April 2, 2003)

I loved the first CD. Basically, they had a great teamwork formula that is seriously lost this time around. Basically, the dual vocals are almost non-existant throughout this CD. The screamer seems to have been booted from most of the songs while the "singer" guy seems to have completely hogged the mike. It makes me wonder what the screamer does during the long intervals he's not used. The "singer" has a vocal coach this time and they seem damned proud of it. Well, the "singer" should've been shot for performing in tracks 6 and 7. Both songs, he hits this painfully embarrassing, kicked-in-the-balls high notes that were bad enough to make me part with this CD a mere 3 days after purchasing it (got Darkest Hour instead, a much better purchase!)! The first 3 songs are alright, but the CD goes way down hill after that! This album is sorely missing a song like "Corporate Identity" from the first CD!! Stay away from this CD and buy something good instead, like "She Looks So Good In Red" by Remembering Never!!

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

i don't understand why doing research on the band would help in a person liking or disliking the music. i don't need a history lesson on waterdown to help shape my opinion of their music.

FortyMinutesWest (April 1, 2003)

These guys sound nothing like Thursday. You act as if Thursday invented screaming/singing. They sound alot like Boy Sets Fire and also like In The Face of War.

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

I could'nt give it a zero. Ok Caliban does rule, these guys don't.
THey have spoken word by Noam Chomsky, and they aren't a political band. There are 2 good songs on this disc. the rest can go into oblivian like every other thursday wanna get big signee to victory. Hear they have a new screamo band that's great, "They sound like thursday" Thursday is not a screamo band, and neither is this.

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

Snapcase - old school Victory?
What about Warzone or Madball?

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

I will defend myself ( the first poster):

The point of Waterdown is, here's these guys from a brutal metalcore band, letting out all of their feelings in this amazing emocore side project. The album really makes much more sense when placed in that context, as well as in the context of it being such a leap forward from the previous album, which at times sound like Bruce Springsteen. Maybe I will write my own review. My point to the reviewer is: do a little research.

FortyMinutesWest (April 1, 2003)

Those facts are actually pretty important, but I don't blame Scott for not knowing. p.s. Caliban rules.

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

Snowdogs, muuuuuuuhahahahahhaaaaw!

Ahem.

To the guy who wrote the first post -- Grow up, seriously. He doesn't have to know EVERYTHING about the damn band to write a good review. I thought the review was written well and gave good insights as to what they sound like and makes you want to hear the records. Thus why I am downloading the MP3 right now. So just get over yourself and/or write a review with all your "cool" facts that I'm sure no one really cares too much about.

- Scott
http://www.local-felons.com
(My HTML is better than your HTML! NEENER!)

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

the one singer has one of the best voices ever, as showcased on their first cd, now he barely sings, they could write some better shit

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

Oh yea!! cd - 5 stars, guy below me minus infinity 1 stars.

Anonymous (April 1, 2003)

damn you know ABSOLUTELY nothing - seriously, nothing. This is a POST-hardcore side project of Caliban. You didnt even mention it was their second effort. It is SO much better than the first, an amazing disc, and "A Fortress" is a killer anti-war song. Album - five stars; Review - Negative 758 stars