Children Collide - Theoryof Everything

Tue 28th Sep, 2010 in Music Reviews

Following the release of Children Collide’s debut album, The Long Now, I have been eagerly awaiting the follow up album to one of the strongest rock debuts of recent memory.

Before even playing the release of Theory of Everything_ it’s clear that Children Collide have carefully thought this album out. Tarot card themed cover-art with metallic gold lettering printed into the insert sleeve. Fancy! And thankfully, the same can be said about the audio content.

Opening track Future Monks opens the Theory of Everything is a surprisingly slow paced opening for the album, with a bass line repeating the same notes over and over. Some fast paced guitar works its way into the chorus, but the lyrical pace stays the same. It’s not until first single Jellylegs begins, that Children Collide really kick it into overdrive. It’s exactly the kind of song one would expect from Children Collide; loud, vicious and damn right catchy. Closing with a repeated lyric; ‘I guess I’ll meet you in the afterlife,’ heralds back to the theme of tarot cards and death.

Asleep On My Feet, has vocalist Johnny Mackay shrieking away, with some impressive guitar work and drumming banging away in the background of the song. The tempo jolts up and down, much like Mackay’s voice. Hardly a bad thing, the track still rocks, and that’s all I’ve come to expect from this band. Second single My Eagle It’s just awesome, and while the lyrics are at times repetitive, the song itself doesn’t lack any less charm or raucous rock riffs.

Arrows is clearly inspired by fellow Melbourne band The Living End. The riff is trademark Cheney, as is the pace of the vocals. And while comparisons can be made, it still has the strength to stands alone.

Only halfway through Theory of Everything, and it’s one of my favourite releases this year. Middle of the album, Fashion Fits and Loveless bridge the album together, and provide slower paced (slower than usual, they still feature some great riffs) songs that are found on the album. Complacency No Vacancy provides further comparisons to The Living End, but Speed of Sound has been named exactly for what it is; the fastest song that can be found on Theory of Everything.

Inventions is one of the shorter tracks on the album, but none the less impressive. Into The Sky With Ivy features the only real problem, there are some moments where the instrumentals drown out Mackay’s vocals. Seven Forks is a nice closing track to the album. Making use of the effects pedals, it’s at times psychedelic and blaring all kinds of distortion, but it ends Theory of Everything with a nice distorted bang.

While you won’t find any replicas of Farewell Rocketship or Social Currency here, Children Collide continues to defy the norms of rock in Australia. Just like their live shows, Children Collide perform stronger and more consistent with each release, and while not a flawless album, this is a rare form for most Aussie rock bands of the past few years to follow up a debut with an equally strong sophomore album.