I got the chance to see Laid 8 live recently and I'm glad to say that their combination of heavy guitars and female vocals are effective both onstage and on their debut record 'These Faded Lines'.
'Your Mistakes' is the first track, and is a proper introduction to what Laid 8 is about. The guitar tone is a huge part of their sound, crunchy, dirty and in-your-face. The riffs vary from Pantera influenced low and heavy palm muted patterns to some melodic staccato riffs a la Megadeth, throwing occasional bluesy chords and clean atmospheric tones in the mix as well.
Everything is in synch, allowing every instrument to contribute to a well-balanced dialog and to create really infectious grooves that sound really tight thanks to the bass and drums laying a solid foundation.
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The female vocals are one of the highlights:sometimes emotional, sometimes mean, sometimes dramatic but always melodic. I think the singer brings a lot of personality and an intimate approach, which says a lot about the band being not just an artistic outlet for the musicians involved, but also a vehicle for their personal expression.
Songs like 'Ode To You' are a good example of moments with an emotional emphasis in this record, as well as 'Before You Choose', where the guitar and the voice are by themselves and the intimate vibe is created effectively.
A song that really stands out is 'Flush', a great evidence of Laid 8's talent in terms of songwriting: The ternary form, groove, infectious chorus, melodies are elements that are put together very well, showing that the band has commercial potential within the interesting framework of their music. If 'These Faded Lines' has a song that would become a sing-along crowd favorite I would put my bets on 'Flush'. The song is very memorable and got stuck in my head right away. Check the video here...
I also got three remastered songs from their 2010 self-titled EP, which is a nice bonus, especially the song 'Necessary Evil' which has Middle Eastern elements that sound really authentic. Laid 8 are originally from Israel, so I presume this is a natural and spontaneous thing.
'These Faded Lines' struck me as a really strong debut. The versatile approach of the band would give way to a growth that would only make their music more interesting in the future. I will stay tuned for their next releases and I certainly recommend not only checking out their stuff, but also catching them live. They have a really cool cover of Pantera's 'Five Minutes Alone'.