Die! Die! Die!: Die! Die! Die! E.p.

Herald rating: * * * *

Doing an EP is always a good way for a young band to get a lot of their influences, and early misadventures off their chest. Not that this self-titled six track EP by Die! Die! Die! is wayward. It's just that the obnoxious, steely and discordant similarities to Big Black and Shellac are strong. Die! Die! Die! need to be themselves.

Former Big Black main man Steve Albini is producing the band's debut album this year, so he will shake the similarity to his former band out of them. "Be yourselves, lads - or else," he'll say.

This EP is rampant in its intensity, be it the steady bass mantra on Auckland Is Burning, or the nasty vocal of Rat, where Andrew Wilson rants, "With friends like you I know I need to watch my back". Although, if you've seen these guys live, then Wilson's tinny vocal assault on this disc is less infiltrating than his confident yowl live. But rest assured, the music is the same here as on stage - strong, uptight and moody.

Ever since Wilson's days in rockquest winning band Carriage H, he's always been a confident - some might call him an upstart - and promising young musician. This entree to their album is proof of it. Go hard.

Label: Capital Recordings