Review
Burnt Books
Self Titled

It’s no secret that women are highly unrepresented in heavy metal and its various sub-genres. Their absence is clearly a result of the “boys club” mentality that seems to have been a defining characteristic of heavy music since its inception. It would seem logical to equate aggressive music with masculinity, but to generalize that women are incapable of creating aggressive music is absurd. Therefore, it would be equally absurd to suggest that women in heavy bands should be held to a different set of standards than those of their male contemporaries.

Burnt Books are essentially an average hardcore/metal band that have borrowed a page or two from the Converge handbook. While that is not a bad place to start, it would be in any new bands best interest to throw in some kind of special ingredient that makes them stand out from the pack. The special ingredient that separates Burnt Books from the others is vocalist Zoe Lollis. Unfortunately, her vocal style is an acquired taste that keeps this album from going down smoothly.?

Any assumptions I could make regarding the reasoning behind Lollis’ lackadaisical vocal delivery would probably be wrong. In any case, she ends up coming across as little more than a pretentious art school student who finds it ironic that she is in a hardcore/metal band. Alternating between a lethargic hardcore squawk and a highly affected whine, Lollis makes a mockery of her band’s perfectly solid performance. The result is a confused and amateurish take on a genre that thrives on dauntless urgency.

I have never been comfortable with the idea of placing the blame for a band's failure on any one member. While Lollis may be the catalyst, the rest of the band are certainly not giving her much to work with. There are a few enjoyable moments here and there that keep their efforts from being a total loss, but the bulk of the music is not interesting or exciting enough to allow this album to be the respectable debut that it could have been.

Perhaps I am simply missing the point here. Maybe the awkward combination that Burnt Books have presented is what will end up earning them a notable fan base. There are sporadic glimpses of a decent hardcore/metal band in this self-titled debut. But, it’s difficult to say whether or not a different vocalist could have turned this into a great album. It most likely would not be as unique, which is really the only thing that Burnt Books have going for them.