With this sudden surge of popularity appear bands influenced and likened to those already making an impact and it is to this scene that Consumption attempts to emerge with their debut EP Out Of The Ashes.
Consumption is the creation of Gina Turner, Scott Saxon and Alex Rogers, having formed in 2002 When Turner decided to shift from an acoustic style to a rock-based one.
The first thing to note is that Turner’s voice is genuinely striking and is by far the strongest element on the EP. Their folk-sounding roots emerge in the intro to “The Monster, The Man” and are continued by Turner’s vocal talent, straining to find potency in a song that is weighed down by a bland rock set up.
“Breaking The Day”, probably the best of the six-song EP, is a much purer acoustic track that allows a vintage, almost medieval sound to emerge in Turner’s voice while the guitar and drums balance perfectly, allowing vocals to take precedence while not casting the instrumental element into the background.
Unfortunately it is not until the last track, “Madeline” that Consumption capture a sound uniquely their own and allow your interest to spark (“Playing God” and “Lights Out” being similar in both fault and merit as “The Monster, The Man”).
Sadly the majority of songs do not amount to much on Out Of The Ashes but those that do show promise for a band still young out of the spawning grounds.
Consumption, then, is balancing a fine line in their evolution and upon which side they choose to fall will make or break any further releases. One path would be to discard the washed-out hard rock sound for a more gothic-folk approach (a la Faith and the Muse). Though this path may not bring universal attention it would provide a loyal fan base mixed with respect as competent artists. The other path is that of heightening the rock influence and attempting to become the next Evanescence. And while this path may seem lined with gold it falls flat in terms of musical creativity with very few considering it serious music.
Which route Consumption takes is their call.
