Belgian band Our Common Sense released their first EP back in March. Called Mankind’s Worst to Know, it contains 5 heavily sludge and stoner influenced tracks. Though they’re pretty unknown, I’m sure this will turn some heads.

Opening song is Medusa. Starting off at a slow pace with gruff singing, you immediately get swept away with the stoner aspect of the band. Shortly after, the sludge element gets introduced in a really fitting way. The catchy riffs make the transition  unapparent and help Medusa fuse with the second track Inhale… The heavy guitar patterns get carried across and manipulated to form something new but still very similar. Pretty cool that this much musical thought has gone into an EP. I even found myself  constantly bobbing my head as the guitar and drums continued their repetitive interplay.

Inhale… does get harder towards the end and that opens the door to Take the shot. Starting off with a bang, it makes you want to move. The singing changes as well. From the slow, let us say.. depressing?.. vocals to a more upbeat tempo. Guitar solos are well mixed into the track making it one of the more powerful songs so far. It is also the first song to actually end without fusing into the next. This is probably a good thing since it might get a bit too much for repetitive listening sessions.

…Exhale follows with, again, a slow start. The stoner in Our Common Sense appears once more with the echo-like singing that’s thus far been present in most of the EP. It’s a shame to say this lasts throughout most of the song. While okay for a few tracks, I found …Exhale to be one of the least entertaining tracks. Not that it’s bad but because there’s not much going on in it. The drum hints at something harder to come but at it’s climax, it just goes back to its repetitive self.

However, I was happy when Sorrow started. Again, the songs “melted” into each other so I had to double check if it was in fact a different song but it was apparent when the singing started. It has the same power that Take the Shot had and it’s as catchy. Hardly any signs of stoner or sludge but it had more of a Hatebreed feel to it (without the breakdowns). A very nice end track to a very nice first release.

I feel Our common sense has a whole lot going for them. This was a very well put together EP with a lot of different elements thrown into the mix. Some parts may get a bit boring at times but other parts more than make up for it. Also, a very nice detail is that the album cover contains references to all the songs. That, and the excellent mixing, make this EP one of the more professional ones I’ve laid my hands on. Support this upcoming band by visiting their bandcamp page!

Release date: March 24th, 2018
Label: Independent
Tracklist:
1. Medusa
2. Inhale…
3. Take the shot
4. …Exhale
5. Sorrow