Russell HughesFigures – Figures (Self-Reased)
Genre: Alt. Rock
With tones of Soundgarden as well as Pearl Jam and heavily influenced by the 90s alt. rock scene, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Figures had chosen to make their mark in the wrong era.
But then good music will always find a way to rise to the top, and if this four track EP is a good indicator of future success, the Australian five-piece have a good chance of doing just that.
Their self-titled release combines the best features of old and new as Figures slay with more melodic, Mastodon style metal riffs while giving vocalist Mark Tronson plenty of room to express his rich voice.
The EP kicks off in a far more alt. rock style through the excellent Filter, a song whose riffs would make Chris Cornell weep with happiness – while the band immediately bring it all back down to earth with Desolate, a real stadium rock hands-in-the-air, take out your lights type song with a heavy guitar presence underpinning it the whole way.
It quickly settles into a more melodic metal tones through Vice, the penultimate track on the record as it leaves it to Emoticonic to provide the final flourishing touches through grungy metal riffs and chorus lines that nearly went out of fashion with the 90s.
But there is more than just nice, melodic guitar and a voice like honey as Figures show their meaner side right at the end of the EP with a punishing last 10 seconds that’ll be sure to get crowds bouncing.
With a curious mixture of old and new, there is no reason why Figures can’t attract the interest of the wider music public. This band has already achieved recognition in their native Australia, and such a combination of genres is sure to lead to something similar across the water.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 7/10 Best of both worlds
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