A Band In Ship - The Storm

A Band In Ship

The Storm
self-released; 2014

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

It’s a hard deal going from a cover band to a band that makes their own material. Eight times out of ten they sound like a watered down version of the band they were covering. A Band In Ship started off as a cover band and now plays their own music. To their credit they don’t sound like any single band. That being said, the songs do little to create a unique sound and define an original sound for the band. The reason is two-fold. First off despite all the songs being based in rock the band experiments with styles that are at the other ends of the spectrum.

The second being that despite the songs being fairly well written and catchy they follow the tropes and predictability of rock music to a tee. It seems like the band is still having a hard time shaking off being a cover band, which can take some time. 

On their album The Storm, the first song “Run” sounds like a combination of Fishbone, Alice N’ Chains and Tool. It’s a bit rowdy, borderline aggressive with dark overtones. The warping synth they implement solidifies the type of sound they are going for. There are a couple of solid guitar solos but still nothing out of the ordinary. 

They follow up “Run” with a light, breezy, upbeat song entitled “Day Follows Day.” What happened to the band I just heard? Did they just take some happy pills? The sudden change in the overall vibe was jarring. If you look at the song as single entity it works and even sounds a bit like a theme song from a ‘90s sitcom. 

“Take Me Away” is a grandiose song that has more in common with the Goo Good Dolls and Creed than the bands mentioned previously. The simplistic lyrics and chords point to a radio ready song I could imagine hearing on FM radio. The last quarter of the song decides to rock out which is unexpected but a welcome deviation.

The closer “The Storm” was the highlight of the four songs. There is some impressive drum work and the chorus is pretty much hard rock. The verse on other hand sounds like some off-kilter combination of Rage Against The Machine and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

At this point A Band In Ship is largely a case of wait and see. If they plan on releasing a full length they should think about narrowing down a style and infuse it with some more elements that separate them from the masses. I know that is easier said than done but the band has some talent; they just need to make sure it’s directed towards a single vision. 

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