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Columbia, South Carolina isn’t known for its
instrumental prog-rock, but the three boys in Bolt
are hell bent on changing that with the release
of their sophomore full-length, Movement
and Detail. From the ominous opening
notes of “Devil’s paintbrush,”
to the driving, almost pop-punk number, ‘Kick”
to close the album, Bolt reveals a diverse musical
palette and freshness despite the fact there are
no vocals. They even have a drunken answering machine
message on the disc displaying the band’s
humorous side.
With eerie atmospherics, hints of jazz, and even
some metal riffage at times, the band has fine
tuned and consolidated their sound from the more
repetitive, video-gamey and less mature sounding
tracks of their debut album, 2003’s Circadian
Rhythm. “A lot more can happen in a longer
song, but it’s harder to hold peoples attention,”
says drummer Bill Elliott, when referring to the
slimmer compositions of the new record. Movement
and Detail is still guilty of letting its tracks
bleed into one another at times and allows for
subtle distraction, but with shorter tracks, technical
precision and an upbeat energy Bolt are quickly
carving their own niche.
www.boltband2001.com
Michael Davis, June 17, 2005
Michael Davis is currently on assignment,
documenting the first U.S. tour of Iraqi thrash-metal
quartet Uncle Sam.
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