The debut album Brokentooth from Divides will shake your teeth from your head with the kind of chaos and power we all need.
Leaving Alaska and settling in Portland, Oregon in 2013, the quintet of Divides brings enthusiasm and a sound so hot they may have saved the tundra from a true meltdown. The release of their debut album Brokentooth two years after their EP Departures will show the industry they mean business. The biggest problem might be categorizing them, but that what makes them stand out as a group not content to being placed in a box.
“Holes in the Floor,” and “Supersymmetry” are the two tracks leading up to the track that is the first single off the album and they blew me away. Only two tracks in it and the listener was on a roller coaster ride of tempo and emotion.
The first single off the album along with a debut video, “Echoes Fade,” features Chris James from Defeat of the Low joining CJ Marie (CJ Brunke) on vocals. “Echoes Fade,” continues to grind out the tempo changes and thunderous drumming along with gritty guitar work. James and Marie echo off each other powerfully and with a haunting feel.
At the mid stretch of the album Divides cranks up the volume and with “Sails and Anchor,” almost perfectly placed as a more restful track. The slower tempo accompanied by complex lyrics and a slightly subdued accompaniment makes “Sails and Anchor,” your last chance for a breath on what is about to be an all out assault on the senses.
“Siren” seems harmless in the beginning, but with a voice the is part Lacey Sturm, part Maria Brink, Marie has a power that is truly all her own, and she owns it on this track. “Siren,” screams and rips the paint right off the walls.
Once “Siren,” opens the emotional door “Alpenglow,” is the outpouring of all that has been stirred and now flows freely out the door with anyone listening with it. With “Splay,” and “Brokentooth,” each with eerie and haunting sounds, grab your attention then blast with more chest pumping tempo speeds and then back again. “Vines and Thorns” and the closing track “We Are Fragments” are a surprise, and illustrate how good writing is every part of this talented band.
Divides – “Echoes Fade” Ft. Chris James of Defeat The Low
Brokentooth will cement this band. Brokentooth will win you over, and Divides will get your attention with their talent. The album is frenetic. The tracks are bold, thunderous, and loud, and you will not be able to live with only one track. Brokentooth dropping on August 11 needs to be in your collection. If you were lucky enough to catch them on August 7 at the Warped Tour in Portland, Oregon then you know. The rest of us need to seek them out, but I suspect they will be coming to a city near you soon. Divides is for real and they have the sound and the songwriting talent to join some big names on the stage.
Divides is:
CJ Marie: Lead Vocals / Keys
Bryan Calhoon: Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Joe Jackson: Bass / Backup Vocals
Corey Rainey: Drums
Paul Anderson : Guitar / Backup Vocals
Brokentooth
01 Holes in the Floor
02 Supersymmetry
03 Echoes Fade
04 Sails and Anchor
05 Siren
06 Alpenglow
07 Splay
08 Brokentooth
09 Vines & Throns
10 We Are Fragments