Veracity is first album by Evacuate Chicago. Evacuate Chicago is the more serious incarnation of Psychostick, a delightful comedy metal band known for songs such as Beer (Beer is good, and stuff) and the Hokey F***ing Pokey (shake that mother****er about). I’m always curious when bands I like try to branch out, so I gave it a listen.
The first couple songs on the album sounded like standard Psychostick metalcore stuff. The next few add in some clean vocals. Their singer reminds me somewhat of the guy from 10 Years whose name I don’t know and don’t care about enough to look up. Without comedy, the start of the album really comes across as lackluster. Nothing terrible, but no track is higher than a 5 and I probably will not listen to any of them again. Track 5 starts to sound somewhat nu metal-ish. The main riff was pretty cool, but the chorus felt very out of place. Perhaps a remix is in order? No, it’s not. But you get the idea.
Track 6 has some pretty cool moments. There’s a harmonic at one point that makes you smile when you hear it. At least for the first time, that is. Track 7 was the first time I bothered to look at the CD case to find the title so I could remember it for later. Proof of Dark Matter is an excellent song. I believe it is their first song to come up on a Youtube search. I mention Youtube alot in my reviews, don’t I? I find it sounds somewhat like 10 Years. It’s less metal than anything I’ve heard from these guys before. That also makes it much better. I dare say it could even be played on the radio.
The rest of the album was about the same quality as the beginning. One song was entitled Veliciraptors, which I appreciated as an internet enthusiast. Time Lapse Photography is similar to Proof of Dark Matter in style, if not quite as good. It’s probably the second best song on the album. The end trails off a little bit, though.
Overall, I was fairly disappointed in the album. I suppose I do love Psychostick more for their comedy than the actual music. Rating: 5 . Except for Proof of Dark Matter which gets a 9. If it’s available as a single on Itunes go download it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to listen to 10 Years since I apparently love them so much.
