Philmont's "Oh Snap EP": A Review
Posted September 10, 2008
By ChristianManifesto,
by C.E. Moore
Random. That’s how I would describe Forefront’s newest signing Philmont’s Oh Snap EP, which serves as a 17-minute primer for their forthcoming 2009 debut. One moment they sound like a punk band in the same vein as bands like Green Day and Relient K. The next moment they sound like a melodic rock band like Maroon 5 while attempting to be as contemplative as Chris Rice. Maybe that’s the point. It’s an EP. Maybe it’s meant to be a random sampling of who they are trying to be as a band. Question is, does Philmont know who Philmont is trying to be as a band?
“I Can’t Stand To Fall” kicks things off and is a raucous, noisy teen anthem-in-the-making. Lead singer Scott Taube belting out, “Tear down these walls/I’d climb but I can’t stand to fall without You/Tear down these walls that separate us now/I can’t make them fall without You,” as fellow band mates Josiah Prince (guitar) and Todd Davis (drums) grind things out on their respective instruments. They don’t break any new ground from a creative standpoint. “The Difference” is, quite literally, more of the same. When this track came on I really hadn’t noticed that the songs had changed. “Another Name” is where the band changes up their style and moves out of the punk genre and into the modern rock genre, producing a strong ballad. Honestly, I think the band would do better to stick to modern rock, because the sound here is a bit fresher than the overdone punk thing. “My Hippocratic Oath” is an amalgamation of the two styles and didn’t win any real points with me beyond Prince’s great guitar licks. “Photosynthetic” is a good piece of writing and ends the EP on a solid punk rock note.
I’m hoping Philmont’s Oh Snap EP isn’t all there is to the band. They show a lot of promise and continue Forefront’s youth-oriented paradigm shift, but this sampling of songs sound just like every other pop punk band I’ve heard over the last four years. When their full-length album drops in early 2009 let’s hope there’s a little variety mixed with musical maturity.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today!
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