This was Peach’s only released album before they broke up. It was re- released with the skeleton artwork(done by Adam Jones) in 2000.
Track by Track rundown:
Spasm is a slow burning, dark song, showing off the aspects to Peach well, with the crunching guitars, stand out bass backing and the very English lyrics and melody. There is a good build up mid way into the song that leads into the climax, where we hear a second set of vocals backing.
Naked is another chance to hear some of Justin’s early bass work, with a nice little intro. This song moves away from a standard feel early on when we get the siren effect backing for the chorus. The vocals strain through a variety of notes, yet still fail to impress.
Cat Food is a cover of another band (god knows which), that has a fantastically catchy bass riff playing throughout. Lots of guitar parts in the form of scrapes, feedback and small riffs play over, but it’s the weird lyrics that win this song. A bizarre song, but very hummable.
Velvet A pounding chorus section, broken up by small quieter parts. A very snappy, to the point most of the way through, with a weird but effective effect driven solo, with lots of reverb.
Dougal kicks in with nastier distortion than the previous songs, and the bass gets shoved up in volume. In fact, Justin takes the spotlight in this completely, as he delivers the effect-masked vocals. This song has a completely unique feel to it from the rest of the album, but does lack any real hook or memorable moment.
Burn is one of my personal favourites from this album. Quick and punkish feel, another great bass line, and some more nice reverb lead guitar. The song pounds along, with some of the better vocal moments on the album. A bizarre sounding solo, and an awesome slow down section gives the song some good variety.
Signposts In The Sea has less bite to it than the other songs, and is another bass lead track. There are some more nice lead parts, and even the vocals are ok on this track.
You Lied is the one track that 99% of the people reading this review will know about, thanks to Tool giving it their cover treatment. Well the original has some credibility too. After the short intro bass and guitar medley, its straight into the main riff, which truly is a great monster of a riff. The vocals are pretty poor on this, but somehow, they see at home at times with the nature of the song. The main riff repeats several times, with lead parts all over the place. Then at the bridge, there is some spoken sample in the background that I have attempted to distinguish many times, but can’t, I get the odd word. All in all though, it’s an awesome guitar song, but possibly just a bit too long.
Don’t Make Me Your God has some of the most intelligent lyrics on the album, really focusing on the idea of being an idol and how negative it can be. The instruments are the nice driving force here, playing a simple pattern for a while, till its solo time, which has a few seconds of sounding like a Maiden solo.
Peach is a slightly strange name for a track, its not often you see a track named after a band these days. A dynamic song, with lots of fading quiet sections, then some pounding distortion parts. Vocals stand up well, and fit the song for the most part. Another well-devised riff is the main part for most of the song, then a joint solo from the two guitarists utilising effects well.
Pros
- Justin’s talent was around even back in Peach
- When they write a good riff, it sticks
- Showed real sign of growth and talent
Cons
- Vocals are very English, and will not be to everyone’s tastes
- Some songs really lack anything special
- Not much variety across the album.
This album was a good introduction to Peach, and it was a nice starting point for a more mature second album. However, fate conspired and we never got more from them. Its something that all Tool fans should check out, as Tool admitted they influenced them after they supported them.
Recommended Tracks
Spasm
Burn
You Lied
