Review: The Now

now
The Now
“Self-Titled”
(Robotic Empire)

First, second and third of all, the fact that this is a re-pressed edition of the bands self-titled EP, that it came out originally over a year ago, and the lead singer is no longer the lead singer have to be taken into account. One can only guess what this band sounds like now. What The Now sounds like then though, is a scream (like early AFI crossed with Boy Sets Fire) driven hardcore band with impressive technical skill. Not tech-metal to be sure, but there is a strong heavy metal influence heard in the multiple guitar action. Deep, almost sludgy grooves pop up here and there, but six songs in nine and a half minutes just isn’t enough time to get a real feel for where the music might go.

A very impressive collection of strangely titled songs, this EP should make fans of quirky heaviness itchy to spend their dollars. Maybe something new from The Now will sound as promising as this. Or maybe they’re not even The Now anymore, seeing as the new vocalist is from a band called Cenaphora, and most of the other members were/are in the band Neil Perry. Oh well, this is still good enough to enjoy for a while, and a cool bit of ephemera to name-drop on friends so you can feel like an elite music asshole, like I like to do.