There has been a noticeable lack of hard rock on the pages of Indie Band Guru as of late. It is not for lack of love for the genre but it seems as if a lot of the submissions lately have been in a word, boring. When all the music starts to sound the same something is wrong. Luckily today we had the chance to listen to the band Against Time and their fresh take on the rock sound.
The band is based in the Ottawa/Gatineau region of Canada which is known as the nation’s capital. The band members hail from all over though. British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick are all represented with members who proudly consider themselves French, English, or Acadian but all Canadians. They have brought their distinctive influences together to form a mix of rock styles that is heavy yet melodic. There are pieces of rock, metal, thrash, and even punk sprinkled into the Against Time sound. They are able to bring in fans of all these genres into their fanbase.
The most recent release by the band is a self titled EP. The 4 song record shows off just what the band is able to do. The opener “Brothers” has a chugging heavy rock beat that pushes the song ahead with an aggressive face. The vocals stand out in the mix as powerful and very understandable (which has become rare for the genre.) On “Follow” Against Time uses all the corners of the sonic space making sound bounce around the speakers in an entertaining way. The vocals seem intimate as they are belted out with an earnest energy. The melodic tones of “Come Undone” draw in the listener to bang their head to the beat while screaming the words. This is fantastic music to see live. The album closes with “Breathless”. The vocals truly shine here as the emotion pours into the music accompanied by a distorted guitar attack that powers forward. Overall the EP by Against Time is a fun ride in heavy rock music without the over-aggression that is too prevalent in the genre today. Perfect for fans all over the rock spectrum.
Go enter the new Heavy Rock sound at: http://www.againsttime.ca/
