Rats - Out Of The Hole

Rats

Out Of The Hole

by Matt Coe at 25 July 2014, 3:03 AM

Forming at the end of 2012, this Stuttgart, Germany quartet go by the name of RATS – and this is their debut EP “Out of the Hole”. Describing their sound as More Metal than Punk – More Punk than Metal, you can tell on these 6 songs that the group go for a stripped down, good time ethos. I can’t make heads or tails of lyrics like ‘Turkey stuffing filled with bricks’ in “Playin’ the Asylum” or ‘Don’t- be a sunken ship / That – thinks it’s a submarine / Smash – through the barbeque’ on “Animal” – it makes you wonder if they are just thinking off the top of their head imaginatively without really digging deep into English words and phrases that make sense.

Musically, I think they are a touch more Metal than Punk – although the gang vocals on tracks like “Friday the 13^th” certainly have THE RAMONES and THE CLASH at heart. Chris as a vocalist is very whiny in his general patterns – which makes me want to turn this off immediately. “Rats on the Rainbow” begins as a ballad, and you can clearly hear that in key struggle to keep up with the beautiful piano opening.

As good as some of the up tempo harmonies and energy is on “Animal” – I feel the RATS struggle to keep that execution on a high level throughout these 6 songs. Maybe for a first EP this is adequate for the style they are playing, but I feel in the long run the RATS need to really sit in the rehearsal room and hash out their songwriting a bit more to develop something that contains stronger hooks, better lyrics, and overall distinct execution.