Everyone has his or her favorite guitar virtuoso. For some it might be the finger-tapping charmer Eddie Van Halen or maybe they go way back and think of the blues inspired violin bow using wizardry of Jimmy Page. There are even some people out that really know their collective six-string shit and cite Yngwie Malmsteen as their favorite axe man. Whoever it may be there always seems to be that one fleet of finger fellow that rock lovers play air guitar tribute in their boxers whenever the mood strikes.
Everyone has a preferred man or woman; Lita Ford is always the exception for the guitar god rule that knows her way around a Gibson Hollow Body or a Fender Strat. Everyone loves a guitar hero. That's everyone besides yours truly. One of the reasons I got into hardcore/punk was to avoid masturbatory licks and ten-minute whammy bar noise pollution. I never wanted to hear another guitar solo over three notes or see anyone on stage mistake their guitar for a phallic symbol as they seductively look at super teased female hair framers from the malls of Jersey while they stroke their instrument (THE GUITAR YOU SICKO) between their legs in some sort of mock sexually predation. I was just never the type to sit back and think, "Yeah that's awesome man."
The problem with Between the Wars is that they happen to have a guy in the band that knows his way around a fretboard and is not afraid to show you. I'm not saying that Bill Henderson ever used his guitar as a penis with strings to coy some doe-eyed beauties to the backstage. At least I don't think he'd ever try to do that with Between the Wars. His former band, Thursday, it could be possible. I kid. I kid. However, Henderson's knuckle busting string bending axe wizardry on Death and the Sea overpowers and mutes what could be a plausible albeit slightly metallic post-hardcore band.
I personally was expecting more from a band that features Tim Shaw, who also lends his vocals to the New Jersey hardcore legends Ensign. Ensign is one of my personal favorites for many years now. It's just a tough pill to swallow hearing Shaw bellow quasi-political positive "we are all in this together" lyrics in front of a prototypical mid-paced metal hardcore band with some guy proficiently abusing the hell out his guitar. I just cannot wrap my head around it and when I do, I feel like I just gulped down an entire DQ Blizzard and my mind is about to explode.
I am no way implying that Death and the Sea is a horrible album. There's actually a lot I like about it from the good mosh parts to solid songwriting. Also, Shaw's semi nasal yelp does fit the music. Death and the Sea at times can be quite the headbanger. I just hope that next time they work a little more on dual guitar interplay instead of writing a song then thinking, "Okay Bill, I want you to wank all over this." WITH HIS GUITAR! Am I writing reviews for a bunch of horny seventh graders? Get your minds out of the gutter. And Between the Wars get back to me with another album, but this time less guitar wizardry and more hardcore brutality. Thanks.
