Album Review: 1000 Hertz - ...Are Burning Maps

1000 Hertz’s new album appears to have been a complete labour of love, taking months to complete and being given away completely free via their myspace. Following up their In At The Deep End debut ‘Input The Output’, ‘...Are Burning Maps’ sees the band vary their sound considerably more than on their initial release. The band ably dabble with elements of post hardcore and a more skate punk sound and as a result the over-used and lazy comparison with fellow Home Counties act, Gallows, seems more redundant than ever.

‘... Are Burning Maps’ is a far from polished album, but the ropey production suits the style of the band well, and considering the album was self-funded is a fair effort. Opener ‘Infected Lights’ is a bruising introduction. Vocalist/Guitarist John Hall utilises both elements of his powerful voice well. His high-end scream sounds very similar to that of Liam Cornier and his cleaner vocals display an emotive edge which is reminiscent of Hell is For Heroes.

Second Track, ‘We Won’t Be Leaving’ is a short sharp shock of hardcore, which seems to be over before it starts. The band then dip dangerously close to sounding like Billy Talent on the third track, ‘Loss Of A Soul’. Its the raw energy thats on display throughout their sophomore album that saves them on this their worst track and makes the rest of the album so good.

There is no doubt that the band’s expanding sound on this album is a good thing, however the best tracks on this album seem to be the tracks where the band are at their most brutal. ‘Our Heart Is All We Got’ is the outstanding track of the album. Though it may appear on first listen to be yet another anti-scene rant, when Hall screams at the top of his lungs "We’re not throwing any fucking shapes for you!", you know those screams come from the heart.

The bands truthful and emotive spirit is on display throughout and the passion that they put into every note and every word makes it hard to not be swept up in their cause. The aptly-titled ‘We Are Not Economically Viable’ not only serves as a closing track to the album, but also as a detailed explanation of the treachery felt by a nation. Taking a stand in response to the recession, the bile and hatred expressed towards the bankers on the bands’ final track is enough to scare said profession shitless. During the closing section of the song Hall’s vocals become overcome with rage and brings to mind the vocal disintegration at the end of Refused’s ‘New Noise’.

Few current bands display the emotion and intelligence that are on display during ‘...Are Burning Maps’. The songs on this album drip with energy and raw emotion and by the end of your first listen, it’s highly likely you will be caught up in it. The only flaw being that a few songs in the middle of the album are undistinguishable from one another, but this really is a minor blip. Free music is often a means for talentless bands to pedal pointless pap they would be unable to sell, in 1000 Hertz’s case this couldn’t be further from the truth. ‘...Are Burning Maps’ is well worth the two minute download time and would easily be worth the ten quid you would spend on a physical copy.

4/5

'...Are Burning Maps' by 1000 Hertz is available as a free download here.

1000 Hertz on MySpace

Dan Issitt