Album Review: The Death Of Paris

The Death of Paris are a five-piece who hail from southern New England (lead singer Nathan Harrop is from Rhode Island while the remainder of the band are from various points in Massachusetts). The lads describe themselves as Hard Pop, a label that fits their sound pretty accurately. “The Death Of Paris” and “Bed’s On Fire” are the first two tracks released as sort of a digital EP, and one would expect they’d appear on the band’s upcoming full-length debut. To be blunt, I was a little leery when informed that they had a song with the same name as the band (The Beatles didn’t have a song called “The Beatles,” if you know what I mean), but I digress.

Both tracks follow a similar formula (so similar, in fact, that the chorus starts approximately :44 in on both tracks): well-polished, musically tight, energetic power pop music. The lyrics trend on the emotional side: lead singer Nathan Harrop has certainly had his share of trials and tribulations, and is bound and determined to commit them all to print (via the band and an upcoming autobiography) before shuffling off this mortal coil. That said, he is able to convey his tales of torment and mistrust without whining, a feat that is not easily accomplished. The guitar duo of John Zaremba and Zach Starikov lead a high-energy attack that is layered and full of distortion in most of the right places, though the sound is a little thin on the chorus on “Bed’s On Fire.” I expected more punch, but the guitar seems to be relegated to the background in those sections. Maybe that’s their way of breaking “the formula,” I don’t know.

“The Death Of Paris” (the song, not the band) contains a stripped-down, vocally driven intro that gains a harder edge pretty quick: a sound not unlike old (read: good) Finger Eleven. “Bed’s” contains a double-time acoustic intro a la System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey” before the electrics and vocals kick in. As stated above, the chorus is a little lacking in the guitar department. Otherwise, think along the lines of early Thrice, maybe with a hint of Chaser.  Another thing that both tracks have in common: weak endings. “Bed’s On Fire” is sloppy at the end, while “The Death Of Paris” just basically fizzles out. That’s a rather surprising fact, given that the remainder of both songs are very well crafted.

The Death of Paris (the band, not the song) are very close to being a ‘four star’ band in my book. They are more than capable of crafting well-written, melodic, catchy anthems of the later Rise Against variety. With a little more punch in the chorus’ and a little more care paid to how they wrap their songs up, expect big things.