CoC : Actual Time - Actual Time : Review

Actual Time - _Actual Time_
by: Brian Meloon (4 out of 5)

Actual Time are a three-piece from Virginia, formed from the ashes of Ataxia [CoC #16]. The band they remind me most of is Don Caballero [CoC #11], though their style is more metallic and less dynamic. Their music is all instrumental, and relies heavily on rhythmic syncopation instead of melody. Unfortunately, this imposes a severe limitation on their style, which causes the music to be a little boring when taken as a whole. While it's fairly complex, the complexity is due to the polymetric layering and odd time signatures rather than flashy playing on the parts of the musicians. The riffs tend to be interchangeable between songs, so the songs end up all sounding much the same. It's not that the music itself is bad, but it's so heavily focused on rhythm that the songs come out sounding too one-dimensional. They're missing something, whether that would be more melody, guitar solos, a vocalist, or anything else that would add dynamics to the music and break up the monotony. The playing is flawless, though: very solid and tight, though there is little that is flashy. The production is good, especially for a demo recording. As it is, this demo clearly shows that they have potential; with the infusion of some more diverse elements to their music, they could be very good.

Contact: actualtime@virginia.edu

(article published 12/8/2000)

DEMOS
4/12/2002	B Meloon	4	Actual Time - Time Frame