Torche comparisons aside, France’s Watertank is brilliant. Sure there are similarities between Florida’s melodic sludgemasters and the Nantes-based quintet but one listen through their latest album, Destination Unknown, and it’s obviously apparent that Watertank is forging a musical niche all their own.
“Automatic Reset” proves that. “Fever” proves that. “Contrails” proves that. Get where I’m going with this? Add a little Quicksand, rust (Remember them?), and Hum to the mix and you have some sickly unique rawk guaranteed to keep your ear holes intrigued for the 9-song album duration (And for repeated listens, of course).
“Automatic Reset” begins the record and is this great anthemic slice of NYC post-hardcore by way of France, of course. With its glimmering guitar line that evolves into a mountain of riffs and percussive accents (Drummer Jocelyn is a beast throughout), “Automatic Reset” is also a great introduction if you haven’t experienced the wondrous sounds of Watertank yet. Then there’s “Fever” which could be on a Quicksand album made today and later on, “Last Lost Hope” even sees vocalist Thomas B. channeling Mr. Schreifels.
And if you think you’ve figured Watertank out, just skip ahead to “Scheme” and “Destination Unknown” and prepare to be blown away. With synths and a singular bass line, “Scheme” seems more in tone with something off an album by I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness or The Soft Moon. It’s a little slab of goth-y goodness before morphing into one helluva rocker with Thomas B utilizing an almost completely new voice that meshes perfectly with the tone of the song. Add Vincent A’s bass paired with Bojan and Julien’s guitars to create this glorious reverberation that hums in a way that will equally rock and warm your soul and you have an instant classic. The title track, on the other hand, is another slow burner with acoustic flourishes climaxing with a hypnotic riff-centered conclusion.
Destination Unknown is out through Solar Flare Records on June 29th. Pre-orders are available now right here. And for more from Watertank, be sure to check out their official Facebook page here and debut album, Sleepwalk, here.