The second album by the band from Velbert in the Ruhr area. The forgotten town in the middle of nowhere. That's how my former roommate described his hometown. We were also the ones who once brought LINKWORK to Berlin for a few concerts. That was a long time ago. At that time, the band didn't have an album out yet. Then came the debut “Down the Drain“, which I quite liked. A melodic, driving, demanding, yet unique style that mostly found itself in punk and pushes forward. The record still occasionally plays in my player.
Now, of course, I was curious about how “Locked“ would turn out. The cover isn't really my thing and put me off a bit. However, the content is what matters most, so the CD got a few spins.
What comes out of the speakers is quite different from “Down the Drain“. I was surprised. LINKWORK now plays more of a mix of rock, emo, hard rock, punk, alternative, and metal. Technically, the songs are very demanding, with many tempo and rhythm changes. The four musicians from Velbert are really good at their craft. So why is it that the spark doesn't quite ignite? Partly, it's due to the tempo, which has become noticeably slower than on “Down the Drain“, then there's Andre's singing, which could be stronger and more varied, and perhaps it's also because the band simply wants to pack too much into the songs. Here, less would have been more.
Fans of powerful rock music will surely enjoy this record. Everyone else should be more cautious. Maybe listen to it on MySpace first and then decide if “Locked“ is for them.
Swimming against all musical currents is tough. With this record, LINKWORK is rather cranking up the countercurrent system even more than being happy to move a few meters forward. That's commendable, but every musician also wants a few people to like the music and come to the concerts.
Specialists are needed for “Locked“!
