One listen to the gripping debut from Jersey-based Pete and you can't
help but want to duck for cover… in the immediate sense, the music just
lunges out at you and besides just grabbing you by the shirt collar,
giving you a few intense shakes to get your attention, it calmly lets go
and slowly smoothes your ruffled feathers leaving you feeling riled and
relaxed all within a moments' passing.
I like this band… but why Pete?
I mean, what's wrong with Dave or Alex or something? No matter, these
guys are a throwback to the elemental Hard Rock of the early nineties
notably; I'm getting a solid dose of early STP during their "Core"
moments, briefly soaking up a few early Sponge qualities as well… Pete,
similarly striking, at times haunting, and always packing a heavy yet
melodic punch big on the backing vocal element and altogether
groove-driven without hashing out the Nu-Metal/Aggro-Rock clichés that
are quick to wear your own nerves as does the bands' reputation.
"Sweet
Daze" is an opener worthy of Rock radio recognition with its quick
darting motion and quick jab in the Deftones/Tool direction but the
finest one/two combination takes place quickly after with "Drugstore
Alibi" and my pick for top album cut of the ten, "Burn," which while
doing just that, brings a fiery chorus to the mix that will go down well
with the first few rows of onlookers who'll do about as much while still
embroiled in their fist hurling frenzy… "Untied" comes through as one of
the most elemental of the group with a slow, humble, nearly AIC
dreariness before kicking the pedal for a furious burst of verse but a
bit more of a plodding chorus than I would've liked… "Awake" is a near
dead-ringer for almost any Tool tune you can think of before again
unloading the heavy artillery amidst an angrily-driven verse, catchy and
altogether disturbing, here's an epic-like adventure that might've
driven Freud himself nuts had he known what was waiting up around the
next century bend.
Pete, plus we'll throw in another of their kind to
lately hit the ground running, Stereomud, both seem intent on bringing
Heavy Rock back to life without the dizzying side-effects of
genre-jumping, picking apart the simplicity of the early nineties
fashion statements and forging ahead with fresh new designs of what's
been lacking in today's heavy music.