IF HE DIES HE DIES press If He Dies He Dies knows how to throw it down
Thursday, July 07, 2005
By Tricia Woolfenden
The Grand Rapids Press
MUSKEGON -- Somewhere during the history of rock 'n' roll -- likely
during the "Poison era," circa '88 -- hair metal earned a bum rap.
Instead of referring to intense, shredding guitar and complex musical
structures with a hard edge, "hair metal" became synonymous with Aqua
Net-supported buffonts and uber-cheesy party anthems. (This is a
mistake, as the latter clearly are the benchmarks of so-called
"poodle" metal.)

Intensely brooding
Muskegon's four-piece If He Dies He Dies will never be confused with
playing anything other than heavy, honest and dark music. Vocalist and
guitarist Brent Eckhardt stressed the mood of the band's live show and
mused about its most-fitting genre.

"There's a lot of hair in this band. I'd like to be called a hair
metal band," Eckhardt joked. "But not like Poison or anything.
"Our music is very heavy and dark. It's almost like anxiety. The live
show ... we come together, and we throw down."

The group -- rounded out by guitarist Harley Obzut, bassist Ephraim
Rozales and drummer Daine Hammerle -- signed with independent record
label Friction Records in April. The Grand Rapids label is home to
such bands as the Nain Rouge and Corcovado and has been a comfortable
fit for If He Dies He Dies.

"It's been good for us," Hammerle said. "It makes us seem like more of
a real band."It just came out of nowhere. We were used to having to
call people for shows. Now they call us."

If He Dies He Dies' first release on Friction records is a
self-titled, six-song EP the band recorded over a two-day period in
February with Detroit band Today I Wait. The songs represent a hard
but melodic sound with loud, in-your-face vocals and complicated
structures, which the band has progressed toward over its two-plus
years of evolution.

No limits
"We're at a point where we don't have restrictions," Hammerle said.
"There's no limitations on what we do."

Though the guys could be considered fairly laid-back -- not at all the
stereotypical tough-guy attitude one might expect -- they value the
importance of putting on an "intense, crazy" show. Broken teeth,
fractured bones, bloody hands and crazed audience participation are
par for the course at an If He Dies He Dies show.

"If someone sees us live, they can't deny we put everything we have
out there," Hammerle said. "We don't listen to that heavy of music,
but that's what comes out when we come together."

"There's a sense of urgency," Eckhardt said. "I won't sing about it
unless it's real."
Though the band continues to gig in its hometown, it has found Grand
Rapids to be a bit more receptive to its live show and musical
styling. A nine-day tour of several Midwest states earlier this year
also proved to be a success, and the band plans to hit the road this
fall.

The band also hopes to have a full-length album recorded by the end of
the year, though Hammerle said it likely will be another EP.
"We would like to take a bit more time (with the next one)," Hammerle said.
All songs are a full-band effort, and each member contributes his
ideas. Perfecting a song can take as long as a month, and Eckhardt and
Hammerle said the band doesn't want to rush the process.
"We're happy with the last one, but we know it could have been
better," Hammerle said. "




www.rebelx.org
If He Dies He Dies - If He Dies He Dies - Friction Records 2005
6 Songs Running Time: 25:38

Being from Muskegon, MI, you wouldn't  think there'd be anything much
to do for enjoyment...at  all. Thankfully, If He Dies He Dies has
taken this  surplus of free time and turned their thoughts toward
music.  The quartet begins their debut with 'Police Raid Neverland',
which spot-welds the fractured fretwork of Quicksand to  empassioned
hardcore screams, courtesy of guitarist/vocalist  Brent. Truly, that
formula's been tried (too many times)  before, but when it's done so
convincingly as done by If  He Dies..., it's hard not to respect them
for conviction  alone. 'The Last Layer Is Paper Thin' introduces
sporadic  melodic vocals, and while they do well to provide the song
some sense of dynamic, they're mixed a bit too far back  to really
reach out and take hold. At times, If He Dies... comes  off like one
could imagine The End sounding, were  they a bit more concerned with
tossing a groove into the  song now and again. If He Dies He Dies's
sound is  firmly rooted in the tech-core scene, but any band in that
realm who can pull off the seven-minute 'The Last Layer  Is Paper
Thin', and still make it an interesting listen  has something worthy
in the way of potential. Worry not,  true music fans, for the dreaded
"fashioncore" tag is miles  away from anything this band produces.
After the abbreviated instrumental interlude that is 'Nitro', the two
songs that  won me over to this band make an appearance, in the form
of 'Hammer Of The Gods' and 'Rise Doom Claw'. The former  pushes the
duality of If He Dies He Dies to the  forefront, with both crushing
grooves and washes of melody,  while 'Rise Doom Claw' burns with
flash-paper intensity,  scattering riffs across the landscape of your
mind like  fires on Devil's Night. When album closer 'The Count'
began,  I have to confess being a bit unsure. Once again, clean
vocals had found their way so noticeably into the song  that they
couldn't be ignored, mixed low though they were.  Now, it's not that I
have a problem with clean vocals at  all, and they would seem to work
well in the spaces they  occupy with this band. The dilemma is in both
the mix,  and in Brent not sounding completely confident when it
comes to dropping the "I gargle with broken glass" tone  used through
the majority of the disc. That being said,  the song does draw you in,
and works as an exit point,  letting you ride out on waves of fluid
leadwork as opposed  to breakdown-ing you into submission, as is the
case with  so much of the hardcore scene today.

At just under the half-hour mark, If He Dies He Dies has crafted  an
album of solid songs which capture the attention of the  listener
without becoming overbearing. Having seen this band  perform, I can
attest to the power of their live show, which  is more metal in
delivery than anything Death By Stereo or  anyone on Equal Vision
Records has attempted (and badly at  that). They have the songs, they
have the fire. Now, with the  next album, let's see if they have the
persistence. I, for  one, fucking hope so.

Copyright 2005 Friction Records

Label Contact:frictionrecords@gmail.com