Winchester - 'Life Begins At These Dead Ends' Album Review

1. Life Begins 2. Diamond 3. Animal 4. Safe In Sound

5. At These 6. Problem 7. Line Up 8. Set Me Apart

9. Dead Ends

Winchester (population: 45,000), is a city in the heart of Hampshire that’s rich with history. Known for its massive cathedral (one of the biggest in Europe) and painted bollards...No; wait. Winchester are a 3-piece Post-Hardcore band for fans of Fightstar, FFAF and Hundred Reasons. Not a city in Hampshire.

After almost writing a completely different review, I settled in to Winchester’s debut LP. I was really hoping for a stronger opening; unfortunately I was let down by 'Life Begins’, which seems to have been made track 1 due to its name alone.

‘Diamond’. Here, we move up a gear or two. A great song, with a fantastic hook during the chorus and driven riffs throughout . Redeemed.

Now, ‘Animal’ would be my choice of opener for the LP. Straight to the point and in your face. Solid sounding, with great drumming and great guitar playing throughout; the comparison to Slipknot shines through during this epic.

‘At These’ is the last song to catch my attention. An instrumental that doesn’t go on for long enough, if you ask me. At 3:31, it’s the shortest song on the LP; but one of the better ones.

Ever so slightly reminding me of the amazing Animals as Leaders; it’s slightly random and won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but they get away with it...somehow.

They close off the LP with ‘Dead Ends’. Can you see what they did there? A bit too predictable for me.

Final thoughts: A solid LP with some tunes that deserve revisiting. Despite the poor beginning and tendency towards long songs, it’s a good listen.

Best song(s): 'Animal', 'At These’, ‘Diamond'