tracklist:
01 - Join The Scene
02 - I Get What I See
03 - Summer Of Overload
04 - Watch Out
05 - Nine - Five
06 - Show Me Your Real Darkness
07 - Confusion Bay
08 - The Devil
09 - Insane
10 - Morning Rise And A Friday Night
11 - Bleeding Pt. 2

Release Date : 9 February 2004
label: ©+(P) Nuclear Blast GmbH

Recorded at: - Jacob Hansen Studios during July/August 2003. Produced by: - Jacob Hansen and RAUNCHY.
Mastered by: - Daniel Fossum at Digitalfabriken, Sweden.

Cover artwork by: Lars Christensen / www.s8tn.dk


Although they probably resent the tag, when I refer to Raunchy as sounding like a mini-Fear Factory, rest assured that I’m being nothing but complementary. Raunchy being maybe the hottest thing in the Danish metal scene at the moment, they do in fact sound like a younger, less world-weary Fear Factory – whilst also throwing in influences from such peers as Meshuggah, Soilwork and Spineshank and even daring to flirt with techno/dance elements.

Confusion Bay is the sequel to 2002’s critically acclaimed Velvet Noise, and whilst it refrains from any massive musical evolution, it has simply upped the ante on all aspects – heavier and yet still more melodic.

Song structures don’t tend to stray from the tried and tested, its heavy chugging verses before insanely catchy melodic choruses. And insanely catchy they are – the chorus lines aren't just hum-able, they’re just simply not un-hum-able and will haunt your idle moments for weeks to come – check out ‘Summer of Overload’ or ‘9 – 5’ for example.

But that’s not to say that Raunchy don’t jump in with double bass and riff-a-minute moments that should satisfy most Nuclear Blast regulars. The vocals meanwhile are nicely grating at times but for the most part serve as a much more harmonious instrument, and at times even dare to use cyber/synthetic effects ala Spineshank (‘Show Me Your Real Darkness’, for instance), whilst avoiding the cheesiness factor.

Speaking of which however, the odd synthesised moment does pop up when it does sound suspiciously like computer game music - such as the end of ‘9 – 5’ or beginning of ‘Confusion Bay’. And as Raunchy are daring to tread the same melodic death road that In Flames and Soilwork, amongst others, have taken, they’re likely to earn themselves a fair amount of criticism and sell-out accusations in the future which have haunted the aforementioned.

As long as they don’t let any bad press scare them, Raunchy should be looking at the easiest rise to the top of the European music scene since Abba. Confusion Bay looks set to be this years ‘Figure Number 5’ – whatever your opinion on that particular kettle of fish is. Heavy, catchy and as slick as a lubricated kitten. Brilliant.