APE: Press

There’s virtually everything in this small set of songs: a solid know-how 80s Metal/HardRock rhythm section, great made-in-Britain guitar melodies/harmonies, a powerful voice mixing the yesterday and today - and tomorrow - of Rock/Metal made in the American continent (I’d never expect giving thumbs up to Grunge/Nu-Metal-like barks…) and some lunatic impressive production and mix giving you the impression this band wants to stay unsigned (they may really do, I don’t know) in order to make their music 100% the way the would like it to sound.

One year after the excellent release ‘Survival Of The Fittest’ Canadian trio APE releases a three track mini CD. Meanwhile the band signed a record deal with Barred Records and that is a good thing. 

Brand-new EP from Toronto hard rock veterans Ape, who've gone through almost as many drummers as Spinal Tap.  (Jon Cohen, who plays drums on this record, has since left the trio, as per my understanding--hence the album title...)

“Nothing is Just” follows a Maidenesque intro into a straight-ahead, pounding rocker with a Dave Mustaine-sneered titular chorus.  “Man to Machine,” my favourite tune from their self-titled EP of a few years back, is then revamped for this record.  A chugging Fear Factory riff turns into a super-heavy chorus that will have even the mopiest A Primitive Evolution fans banging their heads.  And ooh, what a bass solo!

“Sell Out” closes out the EP with a thumping, sturdy backbeat for Everett Mason to preach antidisestablishmentarianism, or something alone those lines, with a smokin' solo thrown in for good measure.  Man, can someone find these guys a drummer who won't spontaneously combust?

"This is definitely no regressive move back to 1980s hair bands and their “power ballads” and phoney metal pop songs, no these guys rock like Judas Priest used to and put their own unique 21st Century stamp on it and the result is a crazy-groovy CD. Besides sounding like Iron Maiden in some of their guitar work, Steve Vai is another guitar god that comes to mind when listening to Survival of the Fittest. And the best part is that it doesn’t slow down, it just keeps steamrolling ahead, not boring one or tempting you to hit the “forward” button on your CD/MP3 player."

"Survival Of The Fittest has the ability to conjure the transformation between genres and sub-genres in a flash without looking back, that is why this album has so much to offer for every Rock/Metal fan and whoever appreciates unpredictable and uncommercialized material. The main purpose of the Ape trio is to show all the genres’ fans that the love for this kind of music is not just a fling of teenagers; it is something that will stay and remain beside each one of you until your last breath. Of course, it depends if you let it in your worldly bubble."

"Remember the days before music got pigeon-holed into a million genres and sub-genres, when a song either rocked or sucked? Well, Canadian heavy rock/metal group Ape epitomizes music that rocks, even if it doesn’t fit prettily into one genre."

Toronto based APE features a groove based metal that goes beyond regular “groove metal” ala Machine Head or Pantera. Nay, this is much more traditional, this is traditional metal with a groove flare yet without the sex appeal that glam rock/metal had in the 80′s. APE have recently ushered in their second full lengthSurvival of the Fittest, and its an interesting album for one simple reason: it rocks without superfluity.

"This quirky yet talented band seems to really set themselves up in the roll of different. One listen to the brilliantly penned ‘Messin’ Around With Love’ seems like it could possibly be a radio hit on any modern rock station anywhere while ‘Beyond The Depths Of Reality’ is a melodic metallic styled romp that is so hard to ignore because the melody sticks in your head and refuses to leave. With so many musical weapons in their arsenal... it is hard to dismiss this remarkable band."

"I would like to first start off by saying WOW! What a nice surprise, and what a great second album from these guy’s. (There was a Self –Titled in 2007). Their style is made up with melodic vocals, cutting edge sass, backed with a hard rock feel and a heavy metal/classic rock style. It’s definitely rockin’ and groovin’ and I absolutely had a great time reviewing this album. They are an impressive band and they know how to rock it out! There is substance to this trio and I can only expect great things to come in their future. .. .."

If you were to take parts of LED ZEPPLIN, RUSH, MOTLEY CRUE, DANGEROUS TOYS, ALICE IN CHAINS, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS & STAIND & mixed them all together you get something similar to APE.

"The songs on "Survival of the Fittest" are hard rockers that don't quite cross over into what we call "metal" today. In other words, the music here is a little closer to the "hard rock" of Kiss or Dio than it is to the "metal" of Slipknot or Killswitch Engage, although elements of metal and thrash do make and appearance here and there. There is also a newness to this CD, however, that gives it a slight alternative sound. Some might say it sometimes creeps into nu-metal territory while others might just call it "the groove." It doesn't really matter which description is more fitting because, whatever it is, it works."

Overall, this is a very solid album with lots of originality and some really good songs that will stick in your head! All of APE are great musicians, and the album is well done and worth a listen! read the full review at http://saultmetalscene.blogspot.com/2009/06/stillbroke-concert-preview-and-ape-cd.html

LORD'S OF METAL INTERVIEW WITH APE'S EVERETT MASON

Read the full interview at the link below.

INTERVIEW WITH EVERETT MASON OF APE

"Everett Mason is one busy guy. As singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Canadian metal band Ape, he doesn’t get much time for anything besides his music. Add to that the fact that Ape is currently an unsigned band who just released their second album, "Survival of the Fittest," and are busy marketing the album and themselves to the Canadian and U.S. music scenes. Fortunately, Everett took time out recently to chat with me about the unique origin of the band’s name, the struggles of self-promotion, and what it’s like to be a metal fan and musician."

Read the full interview at the link below.

Ape may seem like a simple band, but they're not. The best way to describe Ape's work is classic grunge rock. By taking the thickness of Alice And Chains and mixing it with melodies that range from influences such as Pantera to the Scorpions to Ozzy, one can expect a very varied album. And Survival Of The Fittest is just that. For a sophomore debut it certainly shows that the band can grow and mature into a much better form in just a short amount of time (two years, in this case). Ape works hard at creating excellent groove rock album with plenty of melody and a way to make each song as unique as possible.

"Survival of the fittest" is the first full-length album for this Canadian heavy band called 'APE'. The CD's sound mainly moves in between Hard rock and Heavy Metal sounds, especially influenced by N.W.O.B.H.M. and 'Judas Priest' and infused with strong enough grooves and melodic vocals mixed alll together along with some nice Pantera-tic screams.

 

Read the full review at the link below.