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One Hour Down

Punk newcomers

Label: Release Date: 13/08/2001

rcowling by Ralph Cowling August 22nd, 2001

In this modern age of fast evolving technological development, the words 'demo tape' are usually tantamount to having a well designed, super produced, record company eye catching, full biography filled, specially design CD of which well over a hundred copies have been pressed! Is this because the band is worried that they have to hype up their image to compensate for their respectively dire sound? Well, usually yes is the answer. This is exactly what One Hour Down didn't do when they handed me their modest TDK (Virgin sells 'em for £4 for 10) demo tape, totally devoid of any kind of design at all!

This is exactly how I expect all demos that are handed to me to sound, production wise that is. It certainly has the inherent 'in the club toilets' marred sound, but not to any devastating effect upon the actual musical quality of the four-song filled tape. Unfortunately Disorder** reminds me very much of 'the get up kids' through the vocals though the arrangements are equally as developed as this band, there's a little something extra about this fast and easy medium somewhere between Hardcore and Emo that is neatly produced by the chugging guitar riffs which change to flowing melodies perfectly sequenced with the rest of the band. Usually when bands try to do this kind of mix between single guitar melodies and breaking into gigantic full-on punk paced themes they fail catastrophically. That's what's so good about One Hour Down, they use what few tools they have to great effect. You couldn't easily pass them off as just another old school punk or hardcore band, as there's more to them than that. If you were to suggest that they were just a mindless attempt at formulaic punk, you'd be missing the overtones and arrangements, along with innovative drum breaks and rhythms.

Seeing them live wasn't so much about the great performance they gave out, modestly stepping amongst the rest of the bands on at local Middlesbrough venue 'the house' only to put on a ripping show to an audience of about 50 packed hardcore fans. It was the response that really surprised me after they announced that they were selling their demo for 'only a quid!' they joked. The room shifted forward as 10 - 20 people surged forward to offer congratulations and buy the tapes, I picked up small parts of conversations 'well worth a quid that is' and 'KABADI* let's get a million!' I would compare them somewhat to 'Boy Hits Car's song Benkei on their stand out track How Do You Survive? As the arrangements are very similar and although lyrically they're not anywhere near as strong as they could be, One Hour Down have produced a very promising demo tape indeed!

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