The Amsterdam Red Light District have been building a reputation off the back of their debut album by touring with hardcore punk heroes such as Comeback Kid, Anti-Flag and even a stint with the mighty trash gods Slayer. This alone places big expectations on the French four-piece’s collective shoulders when it comes to their sophomore release, Gone For A While. And it doesn’t fall too short of this.
As the opening few bars of the record directly reference, the harsh guitars take us back to a time where high quality recording was rare. Most of these tracks could be recorded on some crappy secondhand equipment in your mum’s basement and still have a great effect.
The screams on this album sound like vocalist Elio is forcing the classic rock screech that comes so effortlessly to the likes of frontmen such as Joel O’Keefe of Airbourne. It’s so forced that we’re actually concerned for the well-being of his vocal chords. That being said, when layered under his melodic vocals it just gives the songs a fun gravely edge. Alone though they sound far too scratchy for him to be comfortable.
The whole albums mood sits somewhere between aggression and angst, achieved with a mix of soft-harcore guitars offset with wonderfully deep, emo lyrics such as “this is not the real world, that’s why I seem so unreal to you”.
‘Final Boarding Call’ is something of an interlude track, opening with the sound of an airport announcement, continuing with soft guitar and softer spoken vocals. This particular song tugs at the heartstrings and sounds like that sinking feeling of leaving a loved one at the airport, unsure of when you’ll see them again.
The record as a whole proves that The Amsterdam Red Light District did have a place on those tours, but they are by no means ready to headline anything that large. We’re sure they’ll get there though, with some polishing and a bit more practice with those screams. The overall sound combines the good aspects of punk, emo, and the hardcore guitars to create an oddly emotional collection of songs. You can definitely get headbanging to Gone For A While.
