HIGH CRIME:
Larry Burlison – guitar
Matt Couchon – bass
Ryan Masecar – drums
Reign Stokes – vocals
The way it works here is that we get a lot of music sent to us! This is great, as we get to hear new music that otherwise I’d never be aware of. It heads to the inbox on the email, and Benny has a listen (sometimes Mark), and then it gets filtered through to one of us reviewers! I had never before heard of “High Crime,” and so I dug into the press release blurb to find out more!
I was told that High Crime delivers a huge sound consisting of fuzz-fuelled riffs and groove rhythms in their upcoming single “Succumb”. The band has produced a dynamic track with a vintage vibe that fuses styles of traditional metal, the 80s, and rock ‘n’ roll. “Succumb” was released on June 23, 2023.
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And here are my thoughts. With a couple of listens, this is a solid piece of funky rock that delivers a commercial rock sound that should gain some attention from rock radio. I loved some of the guitar breaks, and the changes in direction (such as when the single hits around 3.00), and the vocals are strong, delivering a modern punky vibe. Musically, the bass and drums anchor the track, and I would have liked them a little stronger in the mix, which would have brought out that funk even more.
I hope it gains them some attention, the chorus is catchy, and the band gives a decent nod towards the sounds of the NWOBHM. The band tells us the single is:
“about the struggle against addiction and vices in an attempt to cope with mental illness and succumbing to vices and escapism. It personifies that concept, and that’s who’s speaking in the song.”
For my readers who would like to know a bit more, this is a fairly new band that has only been around a short while. Larry and Reign became friends through the local music scene when their bands Witchtit and Demoneye performed together in November 2018. They started sending riffs and vocals back and forth until they had a few song ideas to expand on. In September of 2022, they brought in Matt Couchon and Ryan Masecar and established their line-up. HIGH CRIME started writing quickly, working off of old and new riffs Larry had, and pretty soon they had a set and started gigging in early February 2023.
And that everybody is, as far as I know. A solid funky rock groove starts us off with this band, but based on one song only, I need to hear some more!
Download the single here
They are on tour with “Mortal man” soon, details below.
Follow the Band on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/highcrime_nc/
By Stevie Ritson
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