CD Review: The Ottawa Hoax – s/t

Never before have I listened to a e.p from a band and been totally stumped on which musical genre they are representing. But after listening to Bristol based band The Ottawa Hoax I have been left most confused.

There is no denying this four piece are very talented, and have a great singer whose voice takes on you on a musical journey through soft sweeping interludes to a full on scream fest.

With the first track “Persuasion Rhetoric Sophistry” they take the listener on a roller coaster of blast beats and twin guitars reminiscent of early Trivium, along with some very cool breakdowns. “Alphabets” starts with a quirky Ricky Gervais Voice sketch which leads you into a aural assault of gentle verses, double bass drumming, and rip roaring vocals. Lastly, “Who Is Charles Colquhoun”, which is a very clever song that takes you along a mellow road of subdued vocals and guitars before grabbing you by throat and dragging you into a melee of death metal, time changes, and a frenzy of guitars.

This is a band who either haven’t decided what musical direction they want to go in, or this is just simply pure genius. After a few listens I am leaning towards the latter.

www.myspace.com/theottawahoax