Band: Distal
Title: Tomorrow May
Label: N/A
Release Date: Late 2007
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
01. Denver Is Burning
02. Tomorrow May
03. What I Heard
04. Static
05. This Time Around (Tabula Rasa)
It’s 8:30 a.m. I’m on my way to work. I’m tired. Why don’t I ever get to sleep before midnight? My half-caf venti raspberry mocha is freshly secured in my cup-holder. Starbucks, coffee for people who don’t like coffee. The sun is shining. The snow is melting. Life is good. But something’s missing. Music. I need music. I slide this new EP I found in my mailbox yesterday into the CD player. Crank up the volume. I’m big on first impressions. As the music starts, I notice my grip is tightening on the steering wheel. My foot is pressing harder on the gas pedal. Both are very good signs. Not only do I stand a better chance of making it to work on time… I like these guys. A lot.
And so began my introduction to Distal, a 5-piece modern rock outfit hailing from Edmond, Oklahoma and their 5-track EP, “Tomorrow May”. These guys play good solid modern rock along the lines of Chevelle meets 10 Years. Lot’s of heavy. Lot’s of power. Pleading vocals with a nice rough edge. Distorted guitars that are given plenty of time to roam throughout the songs. Sometimes content with a gallop. Sometimes a wailing solo sprint. Bass that’s thick and in your face with plenty of groove. Drums. Where do I start? The drums were a major high point for me throughout the CD. It’s nice to hear a guy that’s just feeling the song and not afraid to let himself out of the box a bit. Check out “What I Heard” and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Now I realize that the drummer on the EP was a sit-in and the band has since found a full-timer… but I would assume that the new guy’s got the chops to meet the beat.
Lyrically, there are spiritual undertones throughout the EP, but nothing really blatant. Take the opening track, “Denver is Burning”, for example, “All the buildings around me / are giving me words to speak / cause my hands are receiving / and my eyes are believing / say the name.” What name? They leave that up to your imagination. The impression that I got was that they were almost trying too hard with their lyrics and ended up sacrificing some of the message for the sake of creativity.
Standout tracks were “What I Heard” and “This Time Around (Tabula Rasa)” which are both just great rock songs with heavy rhythms and catchy choruses.
Overall: This is a good solid release. Everything from the production to the packaging is first rate. So if you’re looking for some heavy modern rock to shake the cobwebs out of your head in the morning, look no further. Distal’s “Tomorrow May” is for you. Buy it. Play it. Love it.
www.myspace.com/distal