The Black Drums - Walking with Ghosts

The Black Drums

​Walking with Ghosts
self-released; 2015

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The Black Drums is a band that formed in 2008. Like a lot of bands, band members left and joined and as of right now the Austrian band consists of Andy Knafl (drums), Berend Lippitz (bass), Alex Pipam (lead guitar) and Michael Polzer (vocals/guitar). The really straightforward rock band managed to squeeze out an EP entitled Walking with Ghosts. It’s not the most inventive EP you will hear this year but there are a couple things such as the lyrics which were notable. 

The EP opens with “Two Sentiments.” The music was decent and the lyrics were often prolific and kind of hilarious. Polzer basically sings about getting too drunk and not knowing how to deal with his lady friend. The utter confusion of the line  “It’s not easy hating you because I’m not sure if you're telling the truth” had me in stitches. There are a couple of other great zingers. He sings, “You're just one drink away from drama and infidelity.” Let’s hope she doesn’t do another shot of Jameson. 

The best lyric is the one where he talks about if he has one more drink he is going to start becoming belligerent. He sings, “I’m just one drink away from being the fool again.” I guess being in your twenties in Austria is a lot like being in your twenties in the United States because what Polzer sings about is all too common. 

The next song “Falling” has a memorable chorus and an upbeat feel good energy. There is a Van Morrison vibe on this song and I thought the organ was a nice touch. “Inadequacies” has a ‘70s classic rock vibe but ends up falling a bit short. The vocal line felt a bit jagged.

They close with a highlight “Strange Times.” The band goes for an over the top ending which worked out well. The Black Drums is still going to need to do some tweaking if they want to be in the upper echelon of indie bands in existence today. A boost in production would help but they also need to do a bit more digging to find a style that feels a little less pervasive.

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