Five Ways to Nowhere – Bite Hard

FIVE WAYS TO NOWHERE
Bite Hard
SoE Records
May 15^th, 2020
30:36

FIVE WAYS TO NOWHERE were founded in Turin in 2015. Since then, the Italians have played various concerts, including outside their home country. Halestorm, Guano Apes or Papa Roach are mentioned as influences. So, it should be clear that the sound is a mix of hard rock and metal, with loud guitars, aggressive riffs, rough vocals, but also catchy melodies. After five years of work, the debut album is now available. Nine songs, three of which were obviously rearranged for the album.

And the Italians don’t make prisoners from the start. They already rock mercilessly on “Love To Hate”. Melodic alternative metal with scratchy sounding female vocals. Singer Charlotte Esse really has balls. This is a pleasant difference between her and many of other female singers. But also, her colleagues know how to please. Huge guitar solos, and that with only 3:22 min playing time. “Obsessed” is the first newly arranged song. And this sounds with even more snotty attitude than the opener. The technical alienation of the singing voice creates a slightly industrial list. The drums go ahead with a high number of beats. This continues with songs like “Over The Line” or “Roll The Dice”. The latter obviously also uses a wah-wah pedal. The vocals on “Vodka Queen” definitely honor the song title. It sounds as if the singer had previously oiled her voice with this noble spirit. There is a real pub atmosphere. The highlight here is again a short but crisp guitar solo. In contrast, “Slowmotional” again offers some industrial influences, paired with alternative rock. The end is a real hard rocker. Here you can also find the song title “Wildstyle” in the sound. The chorus is then very catchy. The fans are sure to sing along live.

Nine songs in thirty and a half minutes? Yes, none of the songs are longer than four minutes. These are actually Airplay qualities. But thanks to the alternative sound, there are certainly not many radio stations that will play this album. But that is certainly not the intention. Five Ways to Nowhere follow in the footsteps of their role models like Halestorm or Guano Apes with “Bite Hard”. And they do it very well. So if you like the bands mentioned, you should definitely listen to the debut of the Italians.

Tracklist

1. Love To Hate
2. Obsessed (2020 Version)
3. Over The Line
4. Roll The Dice
5. Grey
6. Twisted
7. Vodka Queen (2020 Version)
8. Slowmotional
9. Wildstyle (2020 Version)

Lineup

Charlotte Esse – Vocals
Matteo “TEO” Lassandro – Rhythm Guitar
Joey Tassello – Lead Guitar
Davide “DAVY” Rocco – Bass
Fabio Brunetti – Drums

MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber