Burning Brides'Fall of the Plastic Empire'

V2 Records

Grade: B+



The City of Brotherly Love has finally produced a band distinctly different than Philly's usual hip-hop and soul groups - Burning Brides, a metal band formed in 1996. The Burning Brides have just released their debut album, "Fall of the Plastic Empire."

Hailing from Boston, singer and guitarist Dimitri Coats met and fell in love with bassist Melanie Campell while he was a struggling actor in New York. Together, they formed the Burning Brides, and, after stints in Portland and Boston, the couple finally settled down in Philadelphia, where they developed a fan base. In the summer of 2002, the group enlisted a new drummer, Jason Kourkonis, and officially signed with V2 Records.

Drawing from the heavy metal influences of Black Sabbath, the Stooges and Iggy Pop, Burning Brides infuses dynamic guitar riffs with melodic lyrics and some occasional screaming. Often compared to Nirvana, Sonic Youth and the Pixies, the new album is described as "an M-80 grenade exploding with Coats' feral vocals and fierce guitar attack interspliced with poignant melodies and sonic intensity."

The album begins with a two upbeat guitar driven tracks, "Plank of Fire" and "Glass Slipper," reminiscent of the Hives' riffs in "Hate to Say I Told You So." In the following tracks, Coats puts his vocals on full throttle in one of the better and more melodic tracks, "Arctic Snow." His voice, which can be likened to Dave Grohl's of the Foo Fighters, conveys high powered emotion as he yearns to "Go off and hide / Be colder than an arctic snow." The seventh track, "Rainy Days," continues the melodic trend, drawing on harmonic influences from psychedelic bands of the '60s.

Burning Brides proves versatile in style, and the album moves from mellow tracks such as "Rainy Days," to songs with heavier guitar beats and loud screaming, such as "Stabbed in the Back of the Head" and "Elevator." These high-powered metal anthems show off the skill of guitarist Coats with several solo interludes. Although the lyrics aren't particularly amazing, the band makes up for the lack of originality with the masterful guitar riffs and gritty drum beats.

Just like the title of its album, "The Fall of the Plastic Empire," Burning Brides aims to break out of the cookie cutter mold of the acts that currently inundate the music industry; "plastic" bands such as the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. Burning Brides brings together several rock sounds to create its own mix of melody, grunge and metal. While these genres don't normally mesh well, Burning Brides puts them together in such a way that transforms the music into a uniquely exciting and powerful sound.

The members of Burning Brides are currently promoting their new album with a U.S. tour, increasing their growing fan base through their "balls to the wall" live performances. Fans of rock and metal can experience them up-close and personal at the Middle East Club in Cambridge on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

- Rachel Resnick