Blogs N' Roses: Proserve Burn The City EP Review

Proserve Burn The City EP Review

I was in Vancouver for the Stanley Cup finals and found myself caught in a riot shortly after the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins. I heard a Cancuck fan screaming "Sounds like the city is screaming out, don't turn around. Gonna burn the city down. Flames rising" I felt that was a great lyric and was going to write the song, until I Googled that lyric and found it was Proserve's Burn The City.

Proserve is a hard rocking outfit from Tennessee, who are not inbred. Go figure, I had the DNA tests shipped to my house to prove it. They have a five song EP entitled Burn the City that is like an AMP Energy Drink on a Five Hour Energy. It's 93 octane romp through music. Proserve pulling the listener by their pants as they claw their way away. Too late fucker, Proserve has your ass!

Burn The City leads the EP and it is a game of Roshambo, but Proserve has four members kicking you in the jimmies. This is a stand out track on the EP, with the catchy chorus, hard thumping drums and bass lines, that mixed with a solid guitar accompaniment.

Gary Segars has a powerful voice that weaves between soft and emotional (Can't Let Go) and strong and visceral (New Number 2). The band has a LostProphets (but with WAY more talent and a penchant for the melodic) sound. Proserve has a strong formulaic verse/chorus methodology to their songs, but that isn't a hit against them. They know how to orchestrate a great hard driving song.

Burn The City EP is a wonderful case for the band to land that big contract. Based solely on this EP, the band can create radio friendly alternative rock, while balancing between sounding SOLD OUT. The recording is clean and unmuddied by over production. Proserve is on the cusp of something big and I am glad to have heard their first step toward that end. I recommend picking up Burn The City if you need to drive fast, fuck hard, and wind down once your reach your destination. The tracklisting to the EP justifies that kind of lifestyle.

You can find out more information on Proserve on their main site here. They have buy links, merch, and the all important tour dates. The band has opened up for hard rockers Every Time I Die and lived, so their live show must be good.