This EP is voted best album of 2018 by half of the band according to the sticker on the CD. That should tell you something about the band we are dealing with today. So they do have humour, there's no denying that. The big question is: do they deserve their superhero status? And if they do, are they in league with Deadpool (as he is the only superhero I can think of with a healthy sense of humour)?
The second question I cannot answer, but let's see if we can figure out if we can say something meaningful about the first question. Escape The Herd is the second EP for this Dutch band. Although the band is new to the scene, those in it are not. The foundation for Superhero Status can be traced back to MM. After that band disbanded two lads kept jamming together. After a while a new band formed. Almost every member has experience in at least one other band. I always wonder if it matters, but perhaps it does explain the confidence that I think to hear on this record. On Escape The Herd this band doesn't sound like they are anxious and nervous about recording, they sound like they've been there before, learned from the mistakes they made in the past and know what they are doing. There is a certain relaxedness in their sound. Then again, perhaps that just me picturing that because of the humour the band is displaying...
The promo-sheet mumbles this being for fans of a load of bands. Some of the reference I get, some are a bit far fetched if you ask me. If I am to name only one band that would be H2O. Could be I picked that band because of the very prominent H2O shirt in the band photo, but I am pretty sure that band has had a lot of spins in the Superhero cave, lair or whatever a superhero hangs out at. It's really straight forward: Escape The Herd is seven times short (nothing reaches the three minute mark), fast melodic hardcore. Fortunately it is executed exactly right: catchy as the Spanish flu.
"Don't you have anything to complain, Dennis?" I can hear you think. Well, in fact, there's two things I can think of. First of all, this band is Dutch and you can clearly hear that. Not because the music is obviously rooted in Dutch folklore, oh no! No, it's the accent of singer Mattis. I can handle it, but I can imagine some folks are turned of by this. If you can, there's a fair chance you will not mind the fact that originality is not a top priority for Superhero Status. Then again, hardcore of this kind is not known for pushing the boundaries, right?
That Superhero Status the band is striving for is something they are yet to deserve. Escape The Herd has nothing original to offer. On the other hand, it is a fun and entertaining melodic hardcore record. And at least two folks will list it as the record of the year; that should count for something!
