Horroscope

09/28/2000 4:43 PM, Yahoo! Music
Bob Gulla

Every once in a while a rock critic must become a sleuth to determine just what's wrong with a particular record. This time the record in question is Eve 6's sophomore set, Horrorscope. On first listen, the collection feels immediate and crisp. Songs like "Rescue" and "Promise" are irresistibly melodic and a cinch for heavy doses of mainstream rock radio rotation. So why doesn't the album work on a critical level? Hmmm.

As I take a magnifying glass to it, my first hunch--and I think a viable one--is that the group is limited artistically. Though they overachieve given their limitations, and they prove their ability to write terrific melodies, the tonal range and instrumental shortcomings ultimately hold them back from making Horrorscope a truly impressive musical statement. By the end of the record, you feel you've heard the same guitar chords ad nauseam, the same vocal patterns over and over. I, for one, am all for carving a sonic niche. The only problem is that this niche is so tight the band can barely maneuver. And that, my friends, is elementary.