
THE BREATHING METHOD – After Everything Else
- by J.N.
- Posted on 21-01-2025
BAND URL: https://thebreathingmethod.band/
From the windswept shores of glorious Scotland comes this grunge-flavored slice of hard and heavy rock courtesy of The Breathing Method. Entitled After Everything Else and containing eleven tracks that recall some of the darker and more sludgy material coming out of Seattle and New York City in the late eighties and early nineties, but these chaps have not merely copied past musical exploits; they sound quite modern and offer vibrant songs that feel rather fresh and invigorating to a certain extent. Stone Sour, Helmet, and early Soundgarden definitely come to mind here.
There is a gritty atmosphere and a rough and ready quality to the record that are appealing, and I dig the alt. rock accessibility that the disc possesses, but the group’s robust riffs and interesting ideas are let down by the vocals on numerous occasions. What should have been a hard-hitting and emotionally charged offering leaving a certain impact on the listener ultimately turns into a somewhat mediocre thing that fails to stand out properly. They have lots of skill, attitude, and some nicely vicious albeit relatable lyrics to go with their crunchy riffs, which is to say this outfit is brimming with confidence and potential, but they need to work on getting those vocals to actually complement the song material and use them to maximum effect. When they appear slightly unhinged and go ape-shit as they do in “Burden” is when they are at their very best, and they should do that more often.
After Everything Else is not a bad debut album by any stretch of the imagination – just not one for the history books either. I am looking forward to seeing how their sound evolves in the future.