CoC : Condition Red - Back in Business : Review

Condition Red - _Back in Business_
by: Paul Schwarz (2 out of 5)

Five years of playing together has, unfortunately, evidently not been enough time for this Finnish five-piece to develop a sound which establishes a truly individual character for them. _Back in Business_, the band's third demo titled to symbolise their return after nearly a year where three of their number were occupied with military service, reeks far too obviously of Machine Head to leave Condition Red with much to credibly call their own. Essentially, Condition Red simply pull off various nineties power groove cliches with skill and a powerful sound. Vocalist Jone has a good voice, Roope's drums, especially in the double-bass department, back up the loud guitars and underlying bass well; the band can play their instruments very competently, but creatively they really do have to do some serious thinking and work hard to get away from the cliches of a genre all-too-prevalent in metal's popular, late-nineties face. Add a point if you're not yet sick of the _Burn My Eyes_ sound.

Contact: jvpkuism@cs.helsinki.fi

(article published 12/8/2000)