title: Just Visiting Part 1

URL: http://www.adequacy.net/reviews/c/cog.shtml

date: unknown

writer: Geoff

There are days when yours truly worries about the youth of the future, reflecting (probably mistakenly) on the state of music by saying, "We had better hardcore when I was their age." And then there are days like when Sydney boys Cog release their debut EP, an impressive little beast that sneaks in under the tide of bullshit and reassures me that all is not lost.

At 25 minutes, it’s almost longer than most punk full-lengths, and the three piece pack enough in to justify the length. At times echoing the strains of more melodic Faith No More, and at others surging forth with the bombast of power-meisters Tool, Cog manage to elevate themselves above much of their contemporaries. Singer/guitarist Flynn Gower stretches his chords admirably, drummer Lucius Borich varies his beats with style, and Luke Gower, described in the liners, as doing "bottom end & backings" does so ... well.

Maybe it’s my imagination but the combination of almost Janes Addiction-like wall of sounds and the undercurrent of homoeroticism ("Hard again, hard again" being the decipherable chorus) make track four, "Moo," the best on the EP. It’s here where the elements come together - varying time structures, a magnificent sound squall, and Gower’s voice reaching out - and produce hard rock magickry.

Here’s to an impressive future.