New Model Army – “Between Wine and Blood”
Album Reviews | Sep 14th, 2014
Record Label: Eagle Records
Genre: Rock
Band Link: www.newmodelarmy.org
Buy on Amazon.com
New Model Army released their latest full-length Between Dog and Wolf last year. The album got a lot of positive reviews except I was in the minority I guess. I thought the album was generally good but was too slow for my liking. These 6 studio tracks seem to have fixed that!
Since the band couldn’t tour a lot this year, they had a lot of time to record some more songs. The result is this mini-album of 6 studio tracks and 11 live tracks from one of their recent tours. I wish these songs were on the previous full-length because they are really good!
“According To You” starts off the EP to a noisy distorted start and then goes into the song. It’s a great track with a catchy hook. “Angry Planet” is probably my favorite track on the album. It’s an aggressive rock tune, and with a title like “Angry Planet” you’d expect nothing less. The song has a similar guitar riff to “Today is a Good Day” from a few years ago. I like that song a lot so it makes sense that I like this one a lot as well.
Those two tracks are two songs that really stand out from this EP and the last few albums the band has done. Just awesome tunes! The majority of these songs just have a sense of urgency. “Happy to Be Here” is about the only slow song on the EP but even that is a track I enjoyed. “Sunrise” finishes off the album nicely and looking forward to hearing this one live if they come back to NYC anytime soon.
The live tracks were recorded during the Between Dog and Wolf Tour and the quality is top notch. NMA have done quite a few live albums already but it’s a nice add-on for the EP. After all, the band is amazing live so it makes sense. With this album, you get all the tracks from the Between Dog and Wolf album, but live and out of order. “March in September” continues to be my favorite song from the studio album and the live album as well. So damn catchy! “Ooo ooo oooooo.” “Did You Make It Safe?” is a song I originally passed over but on listens after I reviewed the album, is definitely a stand-out. From the opening track, “Stormclouds,” to then end, “Horsemen,” I’ll take NMA live anyday. They play their songs faster and harder.
New Model Army continue to create awesome music, sometimes slower than I like but with this new EP, they released something I really enjoy! Dark, fast rock with great lyrics and vocals.
Bottom Line: Excellent follow-up to Between the Dog and Wolf!
Notable Tracks: According To You, Angry Planet, Guessing, Sunrise
Overall Rating: