When I received the album Cobras And Matadors from the American band Down Stares, I immediately knew what this band is good at: exaggerating. With a bio / information sheet like theirs, you even question the amount of albums they released. According to themselves they “have positively influenced young artists who have matured into amazing artists” and so on, but who knows? Maybe they do speak the truth…

Their bio / info sheet starts with the fact that this is music for fans of Deftones and 36 Crazyfists amongst others, so I’ll also start with it. After listening to the album I can say that Down Stares definitely doesn’t sound as you might have thought after reading the names Deftones and 36. Down Stares’ music does have some similarities with 36’, but the mellowest songs of 36 would be the heaviest tracks on Cobras And Matadors.

Their metal influenced rock isn’t totally crap though. The songs sound mature and well-thought through. Furthermore the tracks are played by talented artists and the lyrics are sung by a singer with a nice voice to listen to. The real problem is the fact that they try too hard to be the next big thing. With a little bit more modesty they probably would have reached more. “Less is more” isn’t only a term used in fashion.