The Killing Moon - A Message Through Your Teeth
Reviewed by smrtblonde
"Hardcore" label Fearless Records released The Killing Moon’s A Message Through Your Teeth EP as a teaser for the band’s as yet to be released (and apparently delayed) full-length album. That is a lot of faith given this relatively small label’s accomplished library…and the fact that that The Killing Moon still has a lot of growing up to do. By that, I mean that there is nothing on this 5-song release that is at all original. They seem so heavily inspired by Linkin Park (aside from some very minor vocal deviations, “Sugar Pills” could easily be attributed to the aforementioned), that without some breakthrough they will be all-too-easily written off, especially given that the genre has pretty much seen it’s heyday. One thing that I found interesting about this band is that many inferences on various websites put them in some ska-music related category (presumably because of the horns), and quite frankly – I just didn’t hear it. What I did hear, however, was potential in their muscianship, which means that it might not be so hopeless for the band as this review suggests. Fearless bands do have a reputation for a certain sound and The Killing Moon fits that bill quite well. In addition, the production on this release is tight, so they will probably perform admirably with the label’s core audience their status quo over the short term, and they are still young. But if a next level is to be achieved, they will have to make some serious effort at musical exploration and create a more definitive sound. All of this had me wondering if it wasn’t this lack of identity that has left the release of their full-length as-yet undetermined…perhaps someone else has seen this too? So, the bottom line is - chances are if you ever had an affinity for any of the “Nu-Metal” bands, you already have the main elements that make up the end-product that is A Message Through Your Teeth somewhere in your collection. As such I will give it a “listenable” 2.2 (actually the .2 is for the EP’s artwork) but would also recommend a pass for the experienced listener who is looking for variety on their current musical palate - in favor of new horizons.