Casbah in Durham
continues to impress as more and more top shelf artists fill their
calendar, and The Weeks are, by no
means, an exception. Before reading their bio and listening to
2 songs, I was smashed in the face by their raw intensity as
southern rockers who must have grown up terribly hard and incredibly
fast. Well, they are indeed Southerners to the core- Mississippians, in
fact. As teenagers, The Weeks began their formation with the release of Cadillac Comeback in 2008 and have since gelled into a 4 piece
powerhouse, firing out gritty, bloody rock on all cylinders. Now on a new
label, Serpents and Snakes, the boys are set to release, Gutter Gaunt Gangster
September 21st.
The 7 song EP is a trip into the mind of lyricist and
vocalist Cyle Barnes brought to life by twin brother Cain, Sam
Williams and Damien Bone. Cyle clearly has mountains of pent up angst and
blood soaked memories to share, and The Weeks pull it off majestically through
their music. Opening track, "Stigmata", sets the
stage with Cyle Barnes' screams of vengeance to those who murdered
his family, both literally and symbolically, as well as the rapist of his
childhood. And blaming the devil is no easier than thanking Jesus , who never
answered his prayers. "Slave to the South" is a declaration of
his roots through mixed reminiscence of the good, the bad and the ugly
aspects of growing up in Mississippi. The flow of The Weeks as a band is
also declared in this and the following track, "I've Broken All you're Windows"
while guitarist, Sam Williams, raucously keeps a distortion heavy grip on the
eerily fascinating path of Cyle's lyrics and vocals. Brother, Cain,
crashes and bangs the drum kit making one hell of a noise but always keeping
time with skill and precision. His percussive prowess is made all the more powerful by the thunderous booms of
bassist Damien Bone. That being said, melodies and grooves exist
within the work of each band member, especially guitarist and musical arranger
Williams.
This description sounds like that of a death metal band from
the South. But, in reality TheWeeks are a fine tuned foursome who, together, produce something so raw and
painfully true both lyrically and musically, it seems almost as if they could be creating the birth of a new genre.
Stream GutterGaunt Gangster go and see them for yourself at Casbah this Thursday Night!
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