TALITA CALITZ
Local hard rock band Urban Vitamin have just released their debut album, The First Time Hurts the Most, which you can download for free at www.urbanvitamin.co.za. At first listen, you might mistake the band for Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine or even Deftones. Without trying to make any comparisons, these kinds of bands seem to be a source of inspiration for Urban Vitamin’s music. As they are a local band and still quite unknown, a lot of hardcore rock fans might be as delighted to discover Urban Vitamin’s music as a snail discovering a shell of palatial proportions. The album’s intro song “Porncore” does instill some apprehension as to what might follow in the rest of the album. But songs such as “Pleasure Town” and “Girls” do, however, create a perfect party mix for anyone that is into loud screaming voices, metal and spatial sounds. The band’s drummer, Rick de Villiers, is also an English and journalism lecturer at Tuks and proves to be just as capable behind the drum kit as he is when it comes to Dickens.
But be warned: this album is not for sissies and note that it does get progressively heavier from its first to eleventh track. When it comes to Urban Vitamin, you should prepare yourself to handle copious amounts of hard rock.
