8 Trak Mind – Plus One
Last night while unpacking more moving boxes (will this hell never end?) I ran across a box labeled “DESK”. I disctinctly remember packing this box — I opened up the box, set it in my desk chair, and used my arm to push everything from my work space into it. Tape it up, label it, and move on. Who said packing was tough? While unpacking this “DESK” box last night, I came across the debut CD from a band called 8 Trak Mind.
I remember looking at the CD a month ago or so and pushing it aside. I think I got their name confused with a local retro band and hadn’t been in the mood lately to hear 80s cover tunes. I decided to put the disc on while I was working last night … and boy was I glad I did.
As Beavis would say, “These guy rock! They rock, they rock, they rock!” Heavy, heavy stuff here. Some of the songs almost have a Prong vibe to them, but slower and heavier. Vocals range from singing harmonies to growling and screaming. If you’re into thick chords, thick riffs … well hell, just thickness in general, then these nine tracks of rock are tailor made for you. Don’t get the wrong idea, this is not doom metal — if anything, 8TM have more of a Gorefest vibe (circa Erase) going on here.
Occasionally I’m a a little slow at getting around to reviews. I’m not going to admit sitting on this one too long, but when I went to the band’s website to dig up some more information about them, I found out that they have already broken up and formed a new band named Mourn Makes Movement. Oops. MMM is 8 Trak Mind with the addition of another guitarist and a full time bassist. I downloaded the sample mp3 from MMM’s website, and they sound even heavier than 8TM does! Both bands’ websites are extremely well designed and have great quality samples free for downloading.
Back to the album for a moment. After a soothing intro, the disc kicks off directly into “Crutch”. What’s funny about several of these songs is they don’t seem heavy at first. The drums kick in and a riff fades in and pretty soon I find myself thinking, “Jesus, this is heavy!” Tracks like “Hostile Environment” and “Lost” are the same way … halfway through the songs I just find myself smiling, tapping… and looking for something to break. Another thing I liked — each song is different. None have just a basic, straight forward drum beat. The drums are part of the rhythm in several places.
Tacked onto the end of Plus One is the band’s earlier EP, Two Days. While there is a distinct evolution between the old tracks and the new, the old ones are still very, very good. It’s a hell of a deal for $10, to say the least.
8 Trak Mind have bullied their way into my “2002 List of Flack’s Favorite Bands”, right up there with Totimoshi, Killswitch Engage, and the Sweatpant Boners. You should pick this CD up from their website for ten bucks, and it should hold you over just long enough for the Mourn Makes Movement disc to hit the street.
01. Intro
02. Crutch
03. Lost
04. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
05. Sometimes
06. Bathroom Floor
07. Hostile Environment
08. Uninvited
09. Two Days (EP)