Balboa Manifeste Cannibale

I generally find that an EP or seven inch can be a great introduction to a band with which I am previously unfamiliar, as its much easier to devote ten to fifteen minutes to giving a band a chance than it is to set aside an hour to let them get their point across. After spending a few months revisiting Balboa's Manifeste Cannibale however, I find myself wishing that it was a full-length, as it would give them a chance to overcome my objections as well as impress me even more. Despite modestly professing to be simply a hardcore band, Balboa add in a healthy heaping of darkly melodic thrashy guitars, rock drumming and a few hints of prog-metal sensibilities. "Ostracon" and "Kyoto," the two particular standouts of the disc's four tracks call to mind the musical dexterity of later Give Up The Ghost and Miss Machine-era Dillinger Escape Plan. The title track, also the disc's longest track, was the only time the EP got off course, as a repetetive instrumental leads into three minutes of a speech touting the glory of the U.S. Military. I believe the clip was supposed to be thought of as ignorant or at least negative, but as far as patriotic rants go, this is one of the least pathetic I've ever heard. If I were Balboa trying to mock America's foreign policy, I might have tried to find a more effective clip. In any case, bottom line is, this track is boring as hell. In the context of an album, this five minute detour may have been forgivable, but when it comprises a full third of the disc's content, I have to fault the band. The disc closes with another curious track, starting with nearly three minutes of a dull and distantly Tool-inspired drone and ending with another minute and a half of spectacular "hardcore." Otheriws, aside from a few production issues, the only thing I can truly complain about is the brevity of the disc's great material. Bottom Line: Six minutes of great music out of fourteen shows me that Balboa, while obviously capable of making brilliant music, apparently lack the ability to bring it all together into a solid EP. That's why this reviewer is looking forward to hearing a full-length: to see if the band can balance their tendencies towards the indulgent with their talent and intensity.