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Belvedere

Fast Forward Eats The Tape (2004)
Union Label Group

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

Published on May 18th 2004

Belvedere is the living embodiment of punk rock work ethic. I hold them in the highest regard for being on the road as much as they have and cultivating some of the most devoted fans I've met. Yet despite all my praise of how they "play the game," I admit this is a band that's never been able to hold my attention. Sure, they've developed their riffy, full throttle skate punk to an art form, but there's always been something about their songwriting that's failed to grab me. Suffice to say, Belvedere's been a long time member my melodic punk B-team.

Fast Forward Eats The Tape changes that. While there's nothing fundamentally different about this work and their back catalogue, they've further refined their craft with really satisfying results. The band's made some huge strides vocally and has delivered some truly gigantic vocal hooks on this record. Instrumentally Belvedere's as proficient as always, but there's more focus to their playing and the songs sound tighter for it. This is a band that's always (much like present day Propagandhi and Thrice) mixed their punk rock with a love of big metallic riffs, but this is the first time that aspect's seemed so well integrated and purposeful (not just "awesome for the sake of awesome," if you get my meaning). All these improvements are evident on tracks like "Closed Doors" (which has an incredibly infectious chorus), "Quicksand," "All About Perspectives" or the melodic powerhouse "Brandy Wine" (redone from the version on their split with Downway). The single "Slaves To The Pavement" is another highlight. It captures several of the band's vocal and instrumental dynamics and features a particularly killer solo (on an album that has many). The only downside here is the recording as a whole feels a bit thin. There are some huge rocking moments here and they just don't seem to have the bite they should have in the recording.

Fast Forward Eats The Tape is a great effort and worth checking out. It's not hard to see this going over huge with Belvedere's rabid fanbase, but in a year when so many melodic punk heavyweights are releasing hugely anticipated records, I fear the Calgary four piece might get lost in the shuffle.

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Anonymous (March 24, 2005)

i love this album (erveryone who likes punk should have it!!)and i love belvedere!!! best skate-punk band ever!!!

Anonymous (October 18, 2004)

if you like skaterpunk,you will love this record... but if you can't hear to it, you ' will hate it... :-)

Anonymous (September 21, 2004)

good record, but nothing special.....

slave_to_the_pavement (June 27, 2004)

love it. after hearing "slaves to the pavement" i was hooked and i cant stop listening.

Anonymous (June 20, 2004)

naaah.. never been so interested in belvedere.. they play just the kind of music i like, but not the way i like it.. but this album is okay. don't hate it, but i don't love it either.
y'all

Anonymous (June 12, 2004)

- Fantastic - Elaborate - Energizing - Firm - INCREDIBLE
Fábio, Santos, Brazil.

LONG LIFE TO BELVEDERE !

Anonymous (May 24, 2004)

My favorite Band at the moment... Great Disc!:D

porkpie (May 21, 2004)

track #13 entitled "Popular Inquiries Into Everyday Disasters" blows my head off. so fucking good. pretty cool band also.

-brent

Anonymous (May 21, 2004)

eh...

mikeinflames (May 20, 2004)

forgot to add one thing
the j-card design is excellent
best layout i've seen for a cd in years
it's beyond classic

mikeinflames (May 20, 2004)

i had heard other people rant and rave about this album on other sites
so i picked it up on a whim last week
and i'm so happy i did
it's such a good fucking album
these guys are tight as hell and talented
and i get to see them on Monday
YAY!

Anonymous (May 20, 2004)

Belvedere totally shred

lupus46 (May 19, 2004)

"Belvedere's been a long time member my melodic punk B-team"
man i love the way you put that dude! i'll be quoting that from now on!

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

amazing album. they get better with every record.

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

the first three songs are incredible, not to say that the rest isn't either.
these guys own

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

popcorn fart? Weak, D-. That's being kind.

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

How the hell can some popcorn fart compare Belvedere with Piebald?!

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

To the guy who chose the piebald CD over Belvedere:

you're a moron.

belvedere rocks so hard, this CD is amazing

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

Awesome disc, I love the remake of 'two minutes for looking so good' from Twas Hell (another awesome belvedere disc). i love this band's speed, urgency and massive energy.

This guys are truly an amazing band - great fast, melodic music and good vocals. Although, did anyone else out there notice that the last song on this disc sounds a little like a Billy Talent song? (not that it's necessarily a bad thing)

Great album, great band.
Check out 'twas hell said former child.

And, go see them at the Grind Tour with Bigwig if you live in Canada

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

pretty good review, although i would have to say this is their best album to date. even though they may have slowed down on some songs (which are still great) they still keep the super fast sound and awesome riffs. Belvedere is one hell of a band and if you haven't checked them out be sure to!

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

excellent review. this is exactly how i view belvedere. and from how it sounds, this might be one to get at least off half.com

Anonymous (May 19, 2004)

What's up with Calgary?? They got a winning hockey team finally and now I kick ass punk rock album!

Crankwilldestroy (May 18, 2004)

Great band, I know I won't be disappointed once I pick this up.

Do a US tour already!

Anonymous (May 18, 2004)

urgh...this sucks

Anonymous (May 18, 2004)

You can chalk up another great progresive effort for Belvedere.

Anonymous (May 18, 2004)

This is skate punk done right. They have the Epi-Fat skatepunk sound down, and it sounds soooo rad. It's fast, it rocks, and its canadian, buy it...

Anonymous (May 18, 2004)

Never, ever, put the word "Propagandhi" in a Belvedere review. But the word "Thrice" fits well thought. You could also have used "utter crap".

gatecrasher (May 18, 2004)

(Good review.)

Anonymous (May 18, 2004)

2 guys down: I haven't heard piebald but I feel pretty safe saying "bad," even though Belvedere may not have been in your record store due to mediocre USA distribution.

This album is an absolute MUST for anyone who still finds any value in fast melodic punk rock, and it might rekindle your love for it if you've since moved on.

Between these guys and A Wilhelm Scream, it just goes to show Jumpstart Records (who released both bands prior albums) really knows how to pick 'em. Makes me think I should go check their current bands as a possible "who's who" of 2006.