"Are you still yourself? Do you still act on your gut feeling? Who are you? Who leads you?" These are the questions December Peals urge you to ask yourself while experiencing their latest CD, "People Have Demons".
The hard rocking outfit from Germany has no shortage of talent and muscle - the songwriting is riff oriented and the tunes thunder with some stupendously dynamic drumming. December Peals features Andreas Loba on vocals, Ali Auch on guitar, Tobi Richter on bass, and Thomas Schepers on drums. They've played more than 300 shows, sharing the stage with the likes of the Beatsticks, Donots, and The Donnas.
All of the right ingredients are present and accounted for - shredding guitars, gritty vocals, pounding bass, and earnest drumming - it is a shame the songs do not contain very strong hooks that draw you back to listen to these fantastic players. There are some notable exceptions: "Bad Company", "Best of Luck", and "Slow Beat" exemplify the greatness this band is can achieve when it all clicks. Maybe with a few more spins the rest of the songs will start to sink in. I'd recommend you check out December Peals if you like Buckcherry or The Killers.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 4, 12
December Peals on MySpace. Official site.
