WORLDWIDE PANIC
WORLDWIDE PANIC - “Worldwide Panic”
By Iron Sheik
Industrial tinged and keyboard heavy outfit WORLDWIDE PANIC manage to sound familiar yet fresh. With a modern touch of DISTURBED, older ROB ZOMBIE (“Sinister Urge”) or DOPE (“Life”) is where the familiarity comes in. Opener “I Tried” introduces the listener to the band with a DISTURBED vibe to it. “Less Than Nothing” starts out in a ZOMBIE style before a chorus that sounds airy and lighthearted, but it works well with the heavier parts. As the rest of the album unfolds, it makes me think I was listening to DISTURBED, especially the “Divisive” album in style. Four tracks in with “Falling Apart” puts one in mind of “Life” era DOPE as well as DISTURBED. WORLDWIDE PANIC sticks to this style of music until the last track...with one exception.
There are enough moments throughout the album that WORLDWIDE PANIC sound different from the familiarity of the bands aforementioned. One of the tracks which stands out as an example of OOPS (out of place shit), is the inclusion of the TEARS FOR FEARS hit “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”. It could have been left off the album. Instead of being true to their style, the band turn it into a lightweight poppier rock song (not that it was not that before) with growling vocals in the background. No, it doesn't sound good. It would not surprise me if it was chosen to be a single released in hopes of a big payoff.
Final track “The Great Departure” is a cool ballad type song. It seems an odd place to put a ballad, but it is an excellent closing piece. It is the only track to strip away the industrial musings and show what kind of heavy band they could be even through the acoustics.
WORLDWIDE PANIC have a good mixed sound going for them. I just hope with future releases they figure out what their true strengths are and capture them. All this aside, the album is an all right listen, just not an absolute grabber.