From the opening notes of their self-titled début EP it’s clear that Wardance could play a large part in helping sustain the ongoing grunge revival. Such is their devotion to the genre that you’d be forgiven for thinking that this EP had come straight out of 90’s Seattle, and in a way it has, only via London and a fair number of years later. That they list Nirvana and early Soundgarden as two of their major influences should come as no surprise. However, that’s not to say that Wardance have taken the easy route and simply set about copying a host of iconic names as they’ve stamped their own identity over every song.
‘Free Radicals’ kicks off with an irresistible grunge riff that is melodic enough to hook you in but has just enough feedback on the guitars and distortion on the vocals to feel suitably authentic. That it’s barely over two minutes long means it rushes by in a bitter-sweet haze, but its lean running time succeeds in leaving you wanting more and that’s exactly what Wardance deliver.
‘Guiding Light’ switches from a relatively modest intro into a dark and brooding verse, but the song still twists and turns with each shift in tone or pace further fleshing out the established template that the band are working from. The chorus in particular carries plenty of weight but the band never completely sacrifice melody for heaviness and ‘Guiding Light’ perfectly balances the two.
Throughout ‘Wardance’, the music almost always takes centre stage, with the strong vocals a close second. Whilst the lyrics never detract from the quality of the EP, you’re ocassionally left with the feeling of enjoying a song whilst feeling simulataneously underwhelmed. It’s probably at its most obvious on ‘Reality’, a much heavier and darker effort packed with waves of crashing drums and swirling guitars, but one that feels frustratingly empty. Thankfully ‘Come Alive’ lives up to its title and it thrashes around in an enjoyably discordant sea of energetic guitars and bass.
Sometimes when a band list their influences it can feel like an exercise in name-checking but it’s clear that Wardance have a genuine love and affection for those who helped kick-start the scene a couple of decades ago. However, whilst dedicated grunge fans have possibly found themselves a new favourite band, those who with only a passing interest in the genre might find the EP a bit too focussed to really engage them. Having firmly set their stall as grunge revivalists, intentionally or not, it’s hard to imagine Wardance branching out too far with future releases. Such is the quality of this release however, that you wouldn’t want Wardance to change one bit.
CHRIS HILSON