SPIDER ROCKETS – Ever After

Nice release date –- Spider Rockets from New Jersey chose All Hallow’s Eve to release their third album: Ever After. But, they are not what one would expect from a band that plays with the obvious implications and connotations that particular date provokes. They are neither Doom, nor Death Metal, and definitely not Black at all. So, what is this? Just a PR gag? Apparently, yes.

The three guys and their front lady, rather, play their very own version of Hard Rock with some Alternative influences, which makes them difficult to characterize. The instruments are the same, just the outcome is a bit different. While the guitar mainly plays simple riffs, and the bass guitar stands equally side by side with the guitar, it is the drums and the vocals that are mixed into the front and characterize their music. While the drum work is rather standard stuff, the vocals are a different story. Helena Cos has a high, clear voice with a definite Punky edge and a bitchy attitude. At some points, she reminds of Lynda Simpson of the old English Thrashers Sacrilege, a similar kind of strange and ethereal group, but at the same time somewhat plain and dirty.

Since the voice is the main ingredient for the Spider Rockets’ sound, this is also the determining factor if one likes the band or not. Additional male vocals only appear a few times throughout the whole album, which is actually a good thing since the singer sounds rather bored and one-dimensional. The band seems to have tried to add a controversial counterpart to Helena’s voice at times, like in the opening track “Too Far,” however, it sounds more annoying than interesting. When they experiment with several layers of Helena’s vocals, it sounds much better. This becomes obvious when you hear the slow “Facing Fear” and Doomy “Reasons For Deceit.”

Musically, all tracks are mainly slow or mid-tempo tracks that are very straight Rock during the first part of the album, like “Simple,” which is just that, or “Hate,” which is probably a great song when performed live. In later songs, a break or two add some spice to the recipe. Again, “Facing Fear” has to be mentioned, but also “Names,” which adds quite a cool chorus to the mix, and “Whispers,” the final song with an atmospheric, slightly Proggy feeling, is one of the highlights of the album and contains the best guitar solo within Ever After. Two other tracks stand out from the album: Hardcore-influenced “What I Want,” which is only 2:28 minutes long (thankfully), as it lacks the atmospheric qualities of the other tracks. That is also true for the second track, “Helter Skelter.” Yes, THAT “Helter Skelter.” Choosing this classic gem was probably not a good idea as they don’t change much compared to the original, but fail mainly because of vocals. And, someone is using an instrument that sounds suspiciously like someone blowing on a comb …

So, is this an album one must buy? Generally that would be a no, as it requires a certain peculiar taste to love them; one that is hardly widely spread among traditional Metal fans. But, for the open-minded, it is worth trying. When you hear a song, you either like the vocals, or you don’t. It is as simple as that.