The internet can make for interesting and surprising collaborations. Take for example the Dutch rock band A Dark Line. Hailing from the east of Holland, they've come into contact through Facebook with American singer and bass player Brett Hestla, known for his work in Dark New Day and Virgil Merlot. The Dutch lads laid down some tracks and Hestla added his vocals and a collaboration was born, resulting in the EP 'Running from the Light'.
The first single of that EP is Head Through the Wall. The music is recorded at the Split Second Sound studio by Jochem Jacobs of Textures fame, and he has done a pretty good job. The production quality is of international standards, which both works to their advantage and as a slight letdown. The overall sound of Head Through the Wall is very solid, but has an 'all-American-college-rock' feel. It's a little too generic for my taste. Hestla's voice very much adds to this feeling, and the fact that he mixed the songs in the US probably accounts for this as well.
All in all this first single sounds quite alright, but it lacks an edge. It makes me curious about the rest of the EP though. You can check out the song and the nicely illustrated video (done by Remko Tielemans, also from Textures) below.
Update: the EP can be listened to on Spotify (and iTunes). I've checked the other songs out as well, and they fit pretty much under the same umbrella as Head Through the Wall: generic all-American college rock. Not really my cup of tea, but definitely well made.
