Echochild- From Grace We Fall

Though Echochild have a raw edginess that's hard not to like, the UK band's debut EP is too amateurish to have much appeal to any but the most diehard gothic fans. Singer Catherine-Louise Howe's vocals are part of the problem; she's got energy and emotion to spare, but songs like "Dying Dancing" and "Lost and Found" see her emoting at the expense of hitting the notes on-key, and at times she sounds a bit out of breath. The production is likewise fairly amateurish, and although the primitive synths and gritty guitars of "Meltdown" have their appeal, the drum programming on "U.S.lave" is plodding and overly simplistic. This trio definitely has style, as evidenced on the disk's best track, "The Unknown," but their technical prowess hasn't quite caught up with their aesthetic.

Visit the Echochild website at www.echo-child.co.uk for more information.