AS FAST AS
Open Letter to the Damned
Octone Records 2006
www.asfastasmusic.com

What’s the 4-1-1?
Debut album by the rockers out of Portland, Maine (they have rock bands in Maine?).

Genre
Hard rock / rock

The Good
“Blame it on the Drugs” kicks off with thunderous riffs that roll into a chugga-chugga progression. The chorus is full of melody and hooks. “Florida Sunshine” will captivate you with its infectious groove and harmonic vocals. “Gretchen My Captain” focuses on the vocal work of Spencer Albee, as he laments about the object of his affection. What I enjoy most about his vocals is that, not only can he carry a tune, but he has just enough edge to complement the hard rock sound.

Echoed vocals meet effects heavy instrumentation to create a Led Zeppelin influence on “Wasted Youth.” Albee is a sucker in love and he’s not going to take it anymore on the acoustic and synth heavy “Open Letter to the Damned.” “Skin the Kat” has a hard rock blues feel to it, with powerful and moving vocals. “If I Only Knew” comes off like a long lost Paul McCartney song with the distortion cracked up a bit more. Great song, great melody.

The Bad
Nothing

The Verdict
Every song is a winner! As Fast As draw on a vast range of influence to create one memorable hard rock album. I see a bright future for this band as long as someone in the industry gives them a chance.

Did You Know?
In 2003, As Fast As were known at Rocktopus.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne