Album Review | Black Curtains 'The Shape of Life to Come'

At the post office, from which I picked up the Black Curtains press kit, I laughed out loud at one French journalist that likened the band to Slayer. Smiling to myself, and trying not to be too cynical, I popped  ‘The Shape of Things to Come’, into the car player and instantly my smile vanished and was replaced with the overpowering urge to bang my head so hard my neck is still sore.

The guitar and rhythm sections of Black Curtains are a mature, sort of riff-happy bunch that evokes a sound in the vein of Meshuggah, and yes… Slayer too. Meanwhile the vocals go through almost dizzying changes throughout from the powerfully growled to never overdone clean croons. The entire album rounds out to be an aural assault of the progressive and equally technical sort. For a young band to have figured out so soon that you don’t need to overuse ‘chugs’ and breakdowns to make a record as heavy as an elephants duce is a happy thing indeed. And perhaps with a little luck and fan support, Black Curtains will help mold ‘The Shape of Music to Come’.

I don’t usually rate the bands I do with a number because I am indecisive. For Black Curtains, however, I will pull out all the stops and give it a solid 8.5/10. Links: http://www.myspace.com/blackcurtainsband