EP Review: Epakist

From the mean West Auckland streets comes the eponymously titled release from Epakist. Immediately; notes of Tool and Audioslave-esque inspired vocal prowess and bouncy guitar riffs explode to the forefront. It is a highly honed-in sound that remains energetic and interesting to listen to as each track from the album is played.

While the rhythm section does not offer anything out of the box - which isn’t a bad thing - it provides a solid backdrop for the powerful leads in the front of the line-up.

The opening track Down The Hole sets up high expectations, and each subsequent track follows along nicely, showcasing Epakist’s high quality production and clever songwriting. SpaceTime and Chrysalis are the runners up – both of which solidify the tone and presence of the whole band.

The vocal performance of Bryan ‘Beej’ Thompson is especially memorable, as he recreates the standard cookie-cutter punk/alt rock vocal style into his own personal tool which he uses to cut through the mix like a hot knife through butter; pairing his vocals with the impressive guitar work by James ‘Jamo’ Bristow, working wonders across the dense soundscape.

The outlier comes in the final track Billy Bold which is a cover of the 1981 Graham Brazier classic; which I am not personally familiar with, but with a cursory listen I was intrigued at Epakist’s rendition as it puts their style on display while also capturing the essence of the original.
Despite being an outlier, Billy Bold fits in well with the other songs on the EP, and comes across as being one of their own.

Overall, this is a wonderful, interesting and sonically impressive first look at what Epakist has to offer. As a West Aucklander myself, I am always proud and enamoured when new and more interesting bands show up on the local music radar.

Rock on fellas.