Prosevere - Burn The City Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 03.01.2011
The hard rock outfit from Tennessee are releasing a five-song EP. Will this EP be the opportunity the band needs to gain a wider audience?
The Band
Gary Segars- Vocals
Eric Ashe- Guitar
Matt Riley- Bass
Rocky Griggs- Drums
The Track Listing
1. Not Worth Saving (3:48)
2. New Number 2 (3:21)
3. Can’t Let Go (4:17)
4. Bottoms Up (3:52)
5, Burn The City (4:01)
The Review
“You strike the match, I’ll throw it. Let’s watch this city burn to hell,” exclaims vocalist Gary Segars on the title track. A chunky riff forces its way out of hiding. The drums go into a tailspin, fills blasting out in consecutive fashion. The band puts on a united front, building the last minute up to an adrenaline rush of emotion. The mind could imagine a packed club chanting the lyrical line like a pack of fretless coyotes. It’s a powerful tune that ends Burn The City, a strong EP from the Tennessee hard rock foursome Prosevere.
Burn The City is a tight collection of five songs that acts as a sampler for what the band is all about. There’s the standard acoustic-driven ballad in “Can’t Let Go,” put in the middle of the EP to break up the molten energy that surrounds it. It’s not a bad attempt, avoiding the cheesy undertones that many of their contemporaries bask in. It’s also pleasant to see a band avoid dumping their ballad at the end in a jarring sound shift.
The real meat of the EP is the four other songs, which are heavy from the onset, and don’t lessen up their hold. The band has the hooks down, each track sporting a tuneful chorus that’s hard to escape from. “New Number 2” has the band take control of the soft/heavy dynamic to tug at the listener’s eardrums, while the title track is a darker tune delivered by a thumping bass line. The ending, which was described in detail in the opening paragraph, is the benchmark of the EP.
The musicianship is solid, if unspectacular. The melodic guitar leads aim for an emotional response over flashy work. The songs are all structured according to the formulaic verse/chorus style, though the title track forgoes it in a worthwhile twist. Segars does an admirable job belting out a soaring clean style, as well as some harsher yells to show a tough interior to the vocals. The band picked the best songs possible to show off their ability. In the future, it will be interesting to see how the band does writing another five or six songs into the mix, while keeping the momentum continuous.
As an EP, it does the job of wetting the tongues of hard rock fans. It’s short enough to get the message across, but not long enough for those looking for a quick fix. There aren’t any big shockers, but quality songwriting is a glowing trait. The band has a loyal following in the Southeast, and Burn The City could give them the opportunity to expand past familiar borders. There’s a ton of great up-and-coming bands to choose from, and Prosevere, along with Burn The City, is another one to add to the growing list.
The 411: Burn The City is a short taste of what Prosevere brings to the table. The five songs are a strong collection of material that kick a lot of ass, while showing a melodic side. Not much to be shocked about, but solid songwriting is never something to complain about. For an EP, it does its job of building anticipation for a full-length release.
