Watertank… a strange name, unlikely to thrust the band into the spotlight and demand attention, in fact, unlikely to elicit anything more than tepid interest from most.  However, we all know that you should never judge a book by its cover, so let’s cast that cynicism aside.   Watertank are most certainly not an acapella barbershop quartet consisting of a group of plumbers, but are instead a post-hardcore/alternative rock band from Nantes, France.  Not ones to rush things; since forming in 2003 they have released two EPs and two full lengths, a modest return in output in such a large timeframe, hopefully they run the taps occasionally between releases.  Watertank have suffered a high turnover of personnel, which hasn’t aided their cause, but with the new additions of Romain Donet from punk hardcore band Chaviré on guitar and Willy Étié of Weak on bass, this may herald a more settled line up and possibly a more prolific output.

There’s an air of familiarity to Silent Running; it’s striking how much Watertank sound like somebody else, or at least lots of bands mixed together.  Take opener ‘Envision’; featuring poppy infectious hooks with dark undertones similar to Therapy?, but also a blur of staccato riffs reminiscent of Helmet.  In fact, the Helmet influence, which was so prevalent in Watertank’s previous offerings, still looms relatively large over this track, with Thomas Boutet’s vocals calling to mind Page Hamilton’s clean harmonies.  ‘Suffogaze’ continues in the same vein, juxtaposing melody with a darker central riff that is potentially one of the loudest and heaviest moments on the album.  From here onwards it’s notable how much of a departure this is from Watertank’s previous work.  Not only is Silent Running very short (clocking in at a thrifty thirty two minutes), but it’s also their most accessible work to date, with their original post-hardcore metallic crunch meets sludgy rock being jettisoned for something far more mainstream.

The aptly titled ‘Thing of the Past’ does feel like it could have been conceived twenty years ago, but is also one of the strongest tracks on Silent Running.  It’s a fast, up-tempo number with impressive drums, but blink and you’ll miss it, as it’s all over in barely a minute and a half.  The album concludes with the poppy ‘Building World’ which is reminiscent of old school Feeder and the so clean you could eat your dinner off it ‘Cryptobiosis’, which may be too big a departure for some.  This is a bold move, epic and fuller sounding than much of the sunny bouncy alternative rock that has preceded it, but maybe a tad too bland for those with more hardened tastes.  The track ends with the introduction of synths and the parp of a saxophone which may ultimately be the final nail in the coffin for even the most devoted fan.

In isolation Silent Running is a solid pop rock album which consists of ten short sharp summery tracks that wouldn’t have felt out of place in the late 90s/early 00s supporting bands such as Therapy?, Feeder and even Foo Fighters during their early pre-stadium devouring days.  However, many of the aforementioned bands have all progressed while Watertank appear to have gone backwards.  Their previous two albums, Destination Unknown and Sleepwalk, were post-hardcore rock/metal hybrids that secured support slots alongside big hitters such as Torche, Kylesa and Baroness, but it’s unlikely the same would happen with Silent Running. They could be applauded for diversifying and experimenting, but as Silent Running resembles so much that has gone before it seems that Watertank are heading in the wrong direction along a well-worn path, losing their cutting edge along the way.

(5/10 James Jackson)

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