Music Review by sweetpeasuzie at Apsolutepunk.net
The Bride Wore Black – iPWNED!
Record Label: None
Release Date: July 12, 2007
The Bride Wore Black deliver mash-ups of electronica, hard rock, and party-pop punk on their self-released debut EP entitled iPWNED! The rock quintet from Queens, New York shares many sound qualities with their brethren east of Flushing Meadows' World's Fair, that of Long Island's roost of pop punk troubadours like Patent Pending and Taking Back Sunday. The Bride Wore Black's record iPWNED! has fast, fun, and danceable tracks, and though there might fans who feel that party-pop pollutes authentic punk, it's a derivative that has truth to it with reflections of the modern age and The Bride Wore Black's songs feel truthful of the band. They are more like trend-setters than musicians who try to follow trends. Their record is an example that bands like Good Charlotte and Cute is What We Aim For have not exhausted every possible combination for pop punk and The Bride Wore Black have something more to contribute to the genre.
The Bride Wore Black buffs their zig-zagging pop punk rhythms with effective spurts of electronica early on, like the cybernetic effects in the intro of the lead track "Pray To The Porcelain God." You can hear influences of hardcore in the drilling pellets of the guitars by Sam Fruner and lead vocalist Sean Walsh, a synthesis of classic piano and contemporary synth-fused rock in the keyboards of Tim Vargas, and the rhythm section of bassist Mike Antonucci and drummer Devin Passariello show broad versatility, being able to bend to whatever music style is needed for the melodies. The rhythms have very light sails like synth-pop or make sharp, staccato hits like in hardcore. It depends on what the other players are doing. It's the rhythm section that makes the melodies fuller, showing impressive skills at shifting their shape to the melodic content and creating space for the keyboard improvisations. The result becomes transitions and creative tangents that keep the music moving, drifting off and bringing the listener back.
Tracks like "Dance Party Ultimate Remix" and "Tonight I'll Look to Celestial" have many familiar rock hooks and pop stylistics, but there are also phases that produce an original rock based sound unrelatable to anyone else. The music evolves from electronica bogs to rock elements with a natural flow on "Stage Dives and High Fives" and shows spunk in the keyboard segues and high flamed guitar rotations on "Cross Your T's and Dot Your Lowercase J's." The softly sonic instrumental of "I Need This Place Like I Need a Shotgun Blast to the Face" thrusts into accelerated rhythms around the bend with "I've Got the Wings of a Dove." The instruments interlock and hold together with the strength of cement. The lyrics for "I've Got the Wings of a Dove" are representative of the band's lyrical themes which concentrate on weeding out lies from the truth, figuring out relationships, when to hold on and when to let go. The words sound sincere in their meaning but struggle to keep any faith in them. The lyrics read like a script for a Cameron Diaz movie as Walsh vocalizes, "Attraction doesn't mean satisfaction / And I've been waiting here on this line / For a shot at the prize, for a shot at your heart / The way things are going right now, looks like I'll always be waiting."
You'll notice that The Bride Wore Black sound similar to the bands that you like, but not quite exactly like them. They are pop punk with a different twist that won't repulse you. Recorded by Ryan Sellick (Armor for Sleep, Bedlight for Blue Eyes, Day At the Fair), iPWNED! is fast, fun, and danceable in a likable way. Many facets about The Bride Wore Black's music would never be expected from a punk band, but it's a cool surprise that comes with the package.
Music Review by Cynthia at Taste It T.V.
"The Bride Wore Black" Challenges Our Musical Souls With Fantastic Demos
It's twelve a.m. as I rummage through an assortment of genres flooding out of their bubble envelope habitats, waiting to be heard. I am at my last leg, drinking coffee like it was alcohol and pondering my next step into the realm of sleep. In a trance, I sit up and rise to my feet as my knee hits the desk. After yelling a few crude words I have for moments like these, a small black plastic entity falls onto the floor. I lower myself to find an interesting complex cover and decide to take note on one final reverberation.
Started in the scorching summer of 2006, "The Bride Wore Black" quintet consists of Sean Wubs (Lead vocalist/guitarist), Sam Fruner (Lead guitar), Mike Antonccci (Bass), Timmy Vargs (Keys) and Devin Passerellostein (Drums). Referring to such versatile acts as "Saves The Day" to "New Order" as their musical influences, "The Bride Wore Black" has spawned a colorful spectrum of reverberation and melodies. Each song demonstrates a fresh outlook on "backstabbing friends, confusion and love/hate relationships", allowing us to take a step back and just listen to the ingenious intermingling of brilliantly played instruments coupled amongst fiercely provocative vocals. Each song is passionately overflowing with a rhythmic supremacy that reels you into their catchy hooks and acutely synthesized sounds. Although this EP has been modestly designated as their "demos", "The Bride Wore Black" is currently working on an EP to be released soon, along with re-recordings of brilliant songs like "Tonight I'll Look Celestial".
Nonetheless, we can expect to hear more from this currently unsigned wonder through out 2007. With a spark of musical genius, "The Bride Wore Black" has come a long way from their launch in the bayside area of Queens in 2006. You certainly can't anticipate anything less from "The Bride Wore Black", an eclectic web of personalities who rocked the "The Knitting Factory" in New York City with "The Pink Spiders"…as their second show ever! This band is predestined to make a statement in the music world, so keep an eye on the boys of "The Bride Wore Black" as they pass through a town near you…it may just be the best damn thing you ever did.
My favorite track on this demo has to be "Pray to the Porcelain God." This song is blended with infectious melodies and one of the catchiest choruses since "Dance,Dance" by Fall Out Boy or "The Rock Show" by Blink 182. The synthesized dance beats incorporated with their punk/rock vibe will cause anyone to jump around any room. Each pulse held ultimately by Sean Wub's extraordinary vocals as they engage your mind and soul to their uniqueness. This is one great track from an equally marvelous band.
Ejecting the disk from is transitory hiding spot in my computer; I feel a trivial sense of rejuvenation coming over my once sluggish cadaver. I agonizingly hobble over to the nearby switch and douse the lights. As I pull back the covers, my knee begins to throb and I finally settle in for the night. Gazing up at the moonlit ceiling, I happily look forward to tomorrow's sunshine and bruised appendages. Another day full of starry-eyed promise had ended, but who would have known that I'd encounter such musical intellegence on a lonely night dressed up as "The Bride Wore Black".