The Nameless are back with a new bassist and a new EP, Out Of Sight. I first came across this young band last winter and was blown away by their live show. A strong mix of passion, big riffs and “Goofing Off” that brought a smile to my face.
Out Of Sight is more of a mini album than an EP, being seven tracks long. Opener ‘Blindfold’ starts out with a mysterious picked intro before dropping into the post hardcore the band are known for. The fuzz of both guitars is quite muffled and the drum rolls throughout the verse sound distant and just don’t thud enough for my liking. One of the things that still hold The Nameless back as a young band is the fact that they don’t have gruff enough screams/ shouts for a band of their type. Rob’s shouts are more angry teenager then feared musician. He brings the track straight back to a bedroom where his mum could barge in at any moment offering nibbles.
‘The last Thing You See Before You Wake Up’ in faded into nicely from the opener, this track shows The Nameless at their best, Robs voice still strains when he goes for it but here Joe, the frontman, shows his vocal talent and the track fits together nicely. A track about bad moments unable to fade, “will these scares never leave me”.
A twinkly bridge leads to a trying to be epic outro but it lacks punch, as again the guitars morph in and out of each other forming strange hardcore wave of sound.
‘Gansu’ is the best track on Out Of Sight, perhaps because it’s the heaviest. The brooding interlude brings a sense of fear and could easily soundtrack a tense moment in a darkened wood.
The Nameless mini album has some standout points but it’s largely let down by the lack of track mixture and the overall mastering. Out Of Sight shows the band have talent but they have a way to go before they’ll hit the big leads.
