Search - Hotwire :: Routine

NOT a "routine" debut

M. Parker | Seattle, WA United States | 07/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the final few notes of ?In the Unknown? fade away gracefully into silence, and Hotwire?s major-label debut ?The Routine? winds down to a close, I am admittedly left in a state of incredible glee.Okay, before we go any further, let?s get one thing straight. I nonchalantly popped in this disc about a week ago, listened to the first four or so tracks, and was far too hasty to write Hotwire off as the next Disturbed rip-off of recycled nu-metal nuances. That being said, I happened to read an interview with the band in this month?s ?Metal Edge? with vocalist Russ Martin, and the writer seemed to make a point to say how ?The Routine? is an album that needs more than one listen to fully grasp (and such is the case with a lot of today?s music.) Deciding to give it another shot was the best musically-inclined decision I?ve made in weeks.

The true beauty of Hotwire is their ability to sound like everyone else, while not sounding like anything you?ve ever heard at the same time. How they manage to do this is an enigma I?m going to fathom after the 40th time I listen to this very special album, but what I can say right now is this: songs such as ?Not Today? and ?Neuro Girl? (my personal favorite) are a cut above what you?re going to hear in the hard rock/nu-metal scene today. They sound like Blindside if they collaborated with Staind and if Soulfly?s Max Cavalera produced it. If that sounds weird, it?s because it is. This album will do great things for true music fans? lack of faith in a scene drowning in record industry-controlled entropy.The songs range from emotional and heavy to heartfelt and soft. This contrast is epitomized in ?Invisible? compared to ?In the Unknown,? as the rock spectrum is fully examined and put to great use throughout the CD?s disappointingly short 38-minute duration. ?Say What You Want? brings to mind a few recent hints of Taproot, while ?Color Blind? goes in and out of a caustic riff into a sinuous chorus.Hotwire have a gift. They channel their energy and utilize this gift in the most effective way possible, and are going to captivate the mind of any avid music fan who happens to listen to it. However, ?The Routine? ends all too abruptly, clocking in at just less than 40 minutes. Slight length problem aside, Hotwire have the potential to be something absolutely stellar. This is as solid a major-label debut you?ll hear, and I?m already eagerly awaiting the band?s next effort."

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz im sleepy

J. Moscatello | mt pleasant, sc United States | 12/30/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"hotwire was a whim pickup after hearing the demo of "not today" which rocked bigtime.the new version sounds awful, very over produced and sleek just like the rest of the cd.the guitars have no substance and russ vocals dont cut like they did on the demos."nice profile" is a fun little track very catchy and poppy while "rugburn" has a depressing riff and mellow verse and "tweaked" is pretty heavy straightforward but the song has been tweaked too much from its original.overall the album is quite boring, i tried to get into it on several occasions, just never happens.try their demos, thats where the good hotwire is at."

Worst major label rock album of 2003

pancake_repairman | gfjdhgfjhgj | 03/07/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This album is tied with Depswa's Two Angels & A Dream for worst major label rock album of 2003. The music on this album is unforgivably generic and formulaic, but it's nice to see a band that isn't content to be just a forgettably mundane example of mainstream rock. They take talentlessness to a whole new level with riffs that must have been intentionally designed to be the least catchy and creative they could possibly come up with. In a genre overflowing with mediocrity, Hotwire stand out as a shining light of complete musical ineptitude."