Walk
Away EP, by Companion
1.Strangers
2.Judges
3.Sleepless
4.Walk
Away
5.Question
Master
Companion is another local 417
melodic/emotional hardcore band. Companion's last release was in 2012, with the
single, "Question Master", a song that we see a new version at the
end of this EP. The amount of growth this band has gone through in this year
long period is amazing. Although it may be true that many of the band members
are not the same members as when "Question Master" was originally
released, it is true that Shane is still the vocalist, and his vocals have
developed much more, in my opinion. The lyrical structure of the songs have
stayed the same, and the song structures, for the most part, have stayed fairly
progressive. What keeps me coming back to Companion has to be the amazing
amount of emotion put into each song, you don't see that much anymore, many
bands seem to write hollow lyrics and sing/play with no emotion, so it's good to
see a band that puts their hearts into their songs.
Drums seem to stand out throughout the songs
prominently, bass is well writen and driving, and guitar is very well done. For
what seems to me to have been done with lo-fi recording equipment, sound quality
is good, however it is still pretty lo-fi. Because of this it seems, guitar
seems to be a little sloppy in parts and the cymbal rides seem to overpower
many song parts, but that's not to say it doesn't all still sound great.
A word about "Question Master". If
you are as huge a fan as I am of the original, you'll appreciate this version
of the song. However, I do still like the original better. The band puts a new
flair on it, but the changes put into the guitar, and into the vocals/how the
song is sung at some parts, seems a little lacking, or quickly thrown together
to me.
In all however, this is a wonderful release,
and shows so much promise for this band. I can't wait to see them start
touring.
