EDGEWATER – We’re Not Robots

These five boys from Dallas, Texas, USA had a very promising start to their career when they were signed by Wind-Up Records, who are known for their smash hit artists Evanescence, Seether, and Creed. Edgewater’s third album, South Of Sideways, was distributed by Sony Music and the single “Eyes Wired Shut” was featured on the original soundtrack for the major motion picture The Punisher. Sounds like these guys could get somewhere, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, the label and the band had different ideas concerning which direction they should go to get to that somewhere, and the band decided to take matters back into their own hands and publish We’re Not Robots on their own again … like they did with their two earlier releases: Edgewater and Lifter.

Judging by the artist roster of Wind-Up, Edgewater only fit into the preferred style of that label marginally anyway, because the Texans go about it with a lot more Rock ’n’ Roll in their blood than the top artists of their former label, and it would be no surprise if the guys who call the shots at Wind-Up would rather have another Creed than a band incorporating a raw mixture of Indie and Modern Rock with a helping of Alternative and (occasional) Hardcore shouting to spice up the dish. Props to the band for not straying from their chosen path and having the courage to keep following their ideals, although it must be said that their style is not so overly original … still, though, they perform from the heart.

Maybe it is because of the trouble they had that We’re Not Robots has a bit more of an angry undertone than the previous album, and that becomes Edgewater. Can you imagine the guys from Staind playing a Nickelback tune in the garage next door while trying not to be distracted by the shouting match from the couple upstairs? The outcome is 36 minutes and ten songs that are straight to the point — no fooling around here — where every unnecessary tone is eliminated. Unfortunately, part of what was eliminated was the guitar solos. But, then again, they did not bow to Wind-Up, so they will not bow to a musical genre either, and so Edgewater will probably have a hard time gathering a strong following due to the intersection between directional styles mentioned above.

Most certainly, they will not appeal to a lot of Metalheadz out there, definitely not to the guitar lovers, although trying this band out might not harm you. Just to be clear on what to expect: Three chords, basic Bass, basic Drums, catchy tunes with good Rock guitar playing, but no outstanding riffs, all wrapped in a typical Indie sound topped by an excellent singer. Some of the songs really have a lot of potential and can become famous on college radio or Alternative and Indie stations, and the single “Caught In The Moment“ is a very good choice for just that. Listen to the song on the band’s Myspace site, and you will have a good idea of what this album is about, since with the exception of the heavier “S.O.B.” and the mellower “Digging For Sounds,” the songwriting follows the same line. Yes, that makes some tracks sound a bit similar, nevertheless judged on their own, seven out of the ten tracks are great tunes. Metal Express Radio airplay material? Not very likely, but still good, just an album that may not get too many spins in the average Metal household …