Endless Journey

 MULTIBALL, the punk-rock band from Celje (or emo core too, depending on which definition or review you go by), formed around 2001. At first, the current and former Multiball members played and cut their teeth in other punk bands from the Celje and Žalec area. When those fell apart, a new band was born: Multiball. The five-piece lineup of the time busily recorded demos and was already planning a debut, though the recording dragged on a bit because of lineup changes. So in 2004 the guys put out their first album, with a title that fits that hiccup perfectly – At Last!, followed by a tour across Slovenia and further afield, around Europe. Just a year later they dropped a new, second album, Endless Journey, with twelve pretty punchy, bouncy songs that build on the idea of the debut. The recording had to be postponed because drummer Jan got hit by a car just two days before the session. After he recovered, they went into the studio anyway and made a record they say they’re more than happy with, since the sound got pretty close to the ideal they’ve been chasing since day one of making music together.

Their “endless journey” kicks off with the song ‘When I’m Done’. The calming intro quickly turns into some serious guitar blazing, and a bit of screaming joins in mid-song. A brutal start that opens up the ear canals. Promising. Next up is ‘We Don’t Know Why’. A fast, melodic bouncer, with guitar strings getting scrubbed none too gently and drums rattling away – a direct hit! The song lacks absolutely nothing. The guys are winning me over more and more, and I think I’ll soon be writing that the band plays emo core too. The third song, which I labeled the Multiball anthem, is ‘Friday Night Anthem’. Make sure to spin it before you show up at some crazy punk-rock gig. ‘Too Many’, track number 4, reminded me at first of one of the older Blink 182 songs. Maybe it was just a flash. At the start, the drums and bass get the most blazing exposure. Pretty soon I again catch a melodic resemblance to tunes by somewhat bigger names, like Funeral For A Friend. And to make the song even better, they threw in a little screaming, which just rounds it out. The mix of the bands mentioned above, Multiball style, sounds great! On my journey through the record I stop at the song ‘Letter’. It’s reportedly dedicated to their former guitarist Timi, and it’s about him and the relationships in the band. A very melodic song with high guitar sounds … Great! ‘Supermarket Hero’ isn’t all that fast, but not slow either. At the start we hear slow guitar rhythms, which then morph into punchy but still slower melodies. Another stop on this trip is the song ‘Fallen Words’. The slightly longer, punchy intro is good, but the whole thing feels sleepy to me. Next come ‘Cats&Rats’ with interesting lyrics and (finally!!!) faster rhythms that act like a pick-me-up after the boredom. And now it’s time for my favorite song, ‘Absent’. A bass intro backed by drums, soon joined by guitars and vocals, with some backing vocals thrown in too. I can make one more comparison, to Taking Back Sunday and the track ‘Make Damn Sure’, which is neither fast nor slow but a golden middle that doesn’t stall the song and doesn’t let it fade out completely either. In ‘This One’ the sounds of metal and punk intertwine, with plenty of heavier guttural vocals that, in a balanced way, break up the mostly instrumental part of the song. The song could be good with a few additions, but frankly, it’s a shot in the dark, since they didn’t convince me at all with this one. Second to last is ‘Every Day is …’. A calm start followed by an excellent chorus. The whole song is on the slower side and only comes alive at the end. It lacks nothing, and all I can write is: GREAT! The trip through the album wraps up with the title track ‘Endless Journey’, which is only interesting because it ends the way the first song on the album begins. Nothing special otherwise. The journey ends on an open-ended note that leaves the door open for what’s next.

All the lyrics are in English, which is nothing unusual for young Slovenian bands, since everyone obviously finds it easier to express themselves in English, and that’s – at least by my standards – totally OK. Let’s say it’s acceptable when the lyrics are full of positive emotions; the guys sing about their lives and the things that happened along the road of making music, and they deliver those images in the way they know best.

The record won me over after just a few listens – with both the music and the lyrics. They could be a shade more rebellious and even punchier than they are, sure. But let’s be honest: it’s an excellent, melodic record that’s easy to listen to at any cost. The paths they could take next time. are still wide open. Verdict: big thumbs up.