:: Picture The End - They Swarmed Like Locusts

Picture The End

The success of metallic hardcore acts like I Killed The Prom Queen and Parkway Drive on a national scale in recent years has certainly had a direct influence and impact on the metal scene, with metalcore acts seemingly spring up from nowhere all after a piece of the action. One such band that has rising from up out of the underground in the last couple of years is Melbourne based outfit Picture The End. Forming in late 2004, Picture The End quickly established themselves on the scene with the release of their three-track demo through Sightline Records and a strong presence on the live front, but soon came unstuck with the lack of commitment from Sightline Records in regards to releasing their debut album. Rather than languish in obscurity, the band sought out other avenues, and soon secured a partnership with Stomp Records Distribution for their long awaited full-length release ‘They Swarmed Like Locusts’.

While both the band and label believe they have partnered up in a successful venture together, several listens to ‘They Swarmed Like Locusts’ has led me to believe that both are in for a surprise, and not in a good way. With a running length barely breaking a minute and a half, ‘Death, Wrath And Judgement’ more than gives away Picture The End’s take on the metalcore sound, and quite frankly, it’s nothing more than generic sounding. With constant stop/start riff structures, a meaningless set of words stringed together and passed off as a set of lyrics and a genuine lack of melody throughout, Picture The End are clearly a run of the mill act that mimic what the scene has already offered numerous time before in the last couple of years. For the most part, ‘8/24 Off 16 Overs’ runs along the same previously trodden path as the opener, but transforms magically around the three quarter mark when some harmonious guitar/keyboard is introduced, but all hopes are quickly dashed when the follow up track ‘“They’ve Got Their Magnums. I’ve Got My Magnums. We’re Going To Shoot This One Out”’ falls into the same forgettable trap as the opener. The title track ‘They Swarmed Like Locusts’, the ridiculously titled ‘Let’s Get Metal’ and ‘The Executioner’ do have their moments where an element of groove renders them somewhat memorable, but the remainder of the album once again drifts into the forgettable territory that’s common with most metalcore acts. Picture The End certainly have the passion and drive to succeed, but sadly enough, what they lack most of all is songs, and ‘They Swarmed Like Locusts’ is the audio proof.