Consumption

Formed in 2002, Consumption went through both line-up changes and a year-long hiatus before recording the EP Out of the Ashes. And while it may open on an angst-y rock number, where this disc truly shines is on tracks like "Breaking the Day,” which choose less traditional musical arrangements and vocal stylings. Another worthwhile example is the third cut, "Playing God,” where vocalist Gina Turner begins a cappella, and even when the guitars and drums kick in, the vocals are still kept way out in front in the mix until the moment the song really begins to rock out roughly a minute in. "Playing God” easily eclipses the aforementioned disc opener based on musical strength alone. Then consider "On After The Last,” where Turner’s vocals again transform into something one would expect from an alt-rock diva; it’s still solid but yet not half as engaging as when Consumption push those nebulous, unexpected musical boundaries. "Lights Out,” another rocker also fails to hit its mark and the entirety of the very short six-song disc closes on an equally brief folk-y offering. Consumption are most engaging when they put aside the musical rulebook and give themselves over to experimentation, and while there clearly isn’t enough of that on this EP, that’s still not cause to dismiss them outright. There’s something here, it’s just waiting to be polished, but Consumption will need to take more musical risks if they truly want to experience the pay off.