Gyroscope - SoundShattering Sound

Tue 29th Jun, 2004 in Music Reviews

Since forming in 1997, Perth’s Gyroscope have stepped up from being another talented Perth band to an incredible Australian live act. Bursting out of the Perth scene in 2002 with the Take Time EP, Gyroscope delivered the first taste of their unique rock sound to the nation. An incredibly tight live act, the band has toured relentlessly over the past few years, and 2003 saw nationwide support slots with Thursday and The Living End.  The release of the Midnight Express EP saw the band gain national radio airplay and built on this success with the release of the Driving For The Storm/Doctor Doctor single late, last year. The band then hit the studio again early this year to work on their debut album – Sound Shattering Sound.

Anyone who has seen Gyroscope before will confirm there has never been a more appropriate title for an album. Gyroscope’s sound truly is shattering – older tracks like Doctor Doctor, Driving For The Storm and newie Confidence In Confidentiality are excellent indicators of the bands live sound, with contrasting heavy/soft guitars thanks to guitarist Zoran Trivic, trade off vocals/screams courtesy of singer/guitarist Dan Sanders and Brad Campbell (Bass/vox) and thumping drums from Rob Nassif.

The two previous singles Safe Forever and Take This For Granted also employ the trade off vocal style, with Safe Forever gradually building into an explosive ending while Take This For Granted features the first acoustic moment of the album. On an album full of songs that hit you like a brick, there are some surprisingly good slower, calmer songs to break the tension. Misery, first featured as an acoustic demo on the Safe Forever single, and Hollow Like Cheyenne show the diversity of sounds Gyroscope can pull off. Hollow Like Cheyenne begins beautifully, builds and builds, then changes course halfway through and continues to grow on you for the entire five minutes of the track. If you don’t like it first listen, this track will definitely grow on you.

Get Down and My Hands Are Tied are two of the catchiest songs I’ve heard this year – both stand out tracks. Midnight Express is also included here, displaying the most intense sound of the album with its feverish explosions of sound, and the incredible passion of Are You Getting Any Better? provides yet another highlight. This track bursts with love and hate in every aspect.

The best track on the album for me is definitely the closing number You Try Waiting This Long. Another of the excellent slower songs, the guitar sound is maybe a little John Mayer, but is still completely owned by Gyroscope. The track – complete with ooohs and do-dos – is sung beautifully by Dan, and the intimate sound will stand the test of time – and I think Gyroscope are here for the long haul. The lads are incredible musicians, and Sound Shattering Sound is an absolute killer debut, my highlight of the year so far.