Review by Darian Magee – 4.8/5 Dragons
From MAYS Vandala Magazine – READ MORE REVIEWS HERE
The holy trinity Dean Tzenos, Jarod Gibson, and Denholm Whale were born in the fires of Toronto’s growing punk scene, eventually traveling West to share their self proclaimed “Industrial Surfgaze” with the coast. With their blunt lyrics and rough music, they’ve proven themselves time and time again to be the ultimate masters of a union between stridency and song and did not disappoint fans with their latest release.
I’m almost wondering if Hard Boiled, Soft Boiled was given it’s name because of the albums duality. While I can’t say it feels split in two, the halves certainly seems to reflect each other. The first few songs carry the same darkness and urgency Odonis, Odonis conquered in their previous endeavor Hollandaze, the instruments abrasive and the vocals pleasantly demanding. Even the introduction is anxiety inducing, the song Tension delivering exactly what the track title promises. A hair raising kickoff with a finish that almost feels like a douse of cold water to the face. But around the 20 minute mark, things start to transition into a genre I can’t quite put my finger on. Trance? Pop? Euphoric? Once again the group has proven impossible to label, but I can’t bring myself to complain. Whatever they call it, the last four songs cemented the promise of evolution and individuality and I can’t wait to see how they progress.
Vandala Magazine 