The Sincerity Guild - What It's Like On The Inside

Ahh, the instrumental rock band. On the one hand, this is a blessing in disguise because there is no way that some snotty vocalist with the world's worst lyrics is going to interrupt an otherwise perfectly good song, but on the other hand, there is the notion that without vocals of any sort you have to push the level of dramatics within your music to really connect with your listener. This typically works itself out by adhering to the quiet vs loud aesthetic or taking the idea of full-on rock assault at all times for the entire duration of your music. The Sincerity Guild tends to go with the quiet vs. loud mindset on their disc What It's Like On The Inside (Theory 8 Records). Granted, this is certainly not a slight on the band but simply a heads up that when the band turns on the rock mode you're going to appreciate it that much more because you've felt it coming; you've wanted it; and now it's finally here. "The Keeping Room (Part 1)" opens the album with an 8 minute mini-epic of rolling guitars and enough aural peaks at what lies ahead to keep you interested. By the end of the track, they've got everything turned up to 11 and present you with big enough riffs that Hum would be proud. And at first, that pretty much sums up the band. Hum without vocals or acoustic guitars with a dash of metal inspired intricate guitar work ("Leslye's New Hairdo"), but the band keeps it fresh with their own take on things. "That The Bones You Have Broken May Rejoice" has a great drum breakdown mixed some angular guitars not often found in instrumental rock. "Tokens of Deliverance" has some caustic jagged guitars, and parts of "You Have Been Weighed In The Balances & Found Waiting" remind me of Faraquet. Overall, it's tough to be an instrumental band and not be at the top of the game (i.e. if you're not Mogwai what are you doing?), but The Sincerity Guild are keeping it fresh and appealing to a crowd of people who want their rock with an ebb and flow of dynamic sound that leans more on the rock sound than relies on the quiet side. [www.thesincerityguild.com]