reviews

storminside.net

An interesting Austrian band with unusual name and only two colaborating dudes, known as Soul and Body. Expect guitar&drum based garage rock'n'roll that can be noisy, melodic and striking at one point or it simply drifts into calmed down emo-rock directions.
Weak guitar distorsion don't really give the rigt edge to the music but it's still cool, especialy with those colourful singing, shoting and yelling vocals. Not like something you hear around every corner. I could say it sounds like a garage mix of Queens of the Stone Age, Refused and Danko Jones in a less complex dimensions. Booklet is all black and red with two masked guys on the front cover and hand written lyrics on a messy crumpled-looking paper that makes it harder to read. Nothing too touchable in the lyrics departmant, though – I could say they deal with humanity from some wider spectrum or who knows. It's a nice debut ep, but in the future I'd like to hear more instruments involved.
(Ivo 22.11.04) 5/10

earshot-netzine

Eigentlich, ja eigentlich ist ein Großteil der Alben von den Musikern streng durchgedacht. Alles muss passen, alles muss sitzen, bloß kein Anflug von leichter Anarchie. Zu dem kommt dann zumeist noch eine astreine Produktion hinzu, die sich wie aus dem Ei gepellt präsentiert. Das ist nicht immer förderlich. Denn mancher Scheibe tut es einfach gut, wenn es kracht und scheppert, wenn es keine übertriebene Ästhetik gibt. Man erinnere sich an NIRVANA. Wie hätte diese Band geklungen, wenn sie hochstilisiert etwa wie KORN aus dem Äther gekommen wäre? Nicht auszudenken. Zugegeben. Bei KORN muss es eben diese strenge Geradlinigkeit geben, diese Passformen für jeden Ton. Und genau da sind wir schon beim Knackpunkt angelangt. Jede Metalrichtung hat ihre Leitgedanken, was die Ästhetik angeht. Power Metal muss eben Power haben, Black Metal düster-bombastisch aufgebaut sein und der Indie, wie es der Name schon sagt, bricht eben aus den starren Formen heraus. Genau die Richtung schlägt die Wiener Formation UNITED MOVEMENT ein. Die Truppe präsentiert uns mit „Introducing The Exloration“ eine Vier-Track-EP. Hier kracht und scheppert es. Für manchen Geschmack vielleicht ein bisschen zu sehr. Dieser rockig-kernige Indie mit Grunge-Anleihen hält sich an keine Vorgaben, sondern vermittelt eine Portion Anarchie. Die Gitarren sind verwaschen, breiig und zum Glück nicht bis fast zur Unkenntlichkeit verzerrt. Ziemlich klar kommen sie rüber, was der Musik der Wiener einen gewissen Kick gibt. Hinzu kommt der Sänger, der eine coole Lässigkeit an den Tag legt. Das alles basiert auf einfachen Songstrukturen, aber nicht auf dem für dieses Genre übliche Drei-Akkord-System. UNITED MOVEMENT variieren, geben keine einfachen Riffs vor. Woran es hakt, ist aber der Liedfluss. Die Band stellt sich bei Riffwechseln selbst ein Bein, weil sie sich darin verliert, obwohl sie wieder zum Ausgangspunkt zurückkommt. Ein Stück weit Holpern gehört zwar zu diesem Musikbereich dazu – doch alles im Rahmen. Sieht man davon ab, macht diese Mucke Spaß. Es ist eben dieser Hauch Anarchie, der seinen Charme versprüht.
6 von 7 Punkten / Philipp

cracked-netzine
I will never join a movement, no chance. Even in protests, I walk alone. But if I had to chose one party to hang myself to, I’d chose the United Movement, because of the noise-rock-factor. Two people naming themselves “Body” & “Soul” and usurping the supreme master’s throne trash out a heavy, fat short blast of noise-rock. The ingredients are simple: electric guitars with some distortion, pounding drums, vocals and a home-brew ideology that ambles between liberating the world and dominating it absolutely (very much like the Roman Church or the free masons …) but hell does it ever rock when mixed and ready.
An ideology is a nice thing, if it is your own and you can shout it out to people. Following someone else’s ideology is always awkward and shouting a strange ideology out to people makes you look dumb and completely un-fab. An artistic ideology is even better than the average political one, though, of course, the two cannot ever be safely separated. I prefer an artistic one anytime, especially if good rock music is involved[1] because of the promise of excess, noise, liberation and coming back home safe in the morning to have a nice sleep until the afternoon. Then waking up, with your ears still ringing, your mouth all fluffy from the drinks you’ve had but the great feeling of having had an experience that might (or in the long run might not, but the only thing that counts right now is the next fifteen minutes, the afternoon, the day ahead) change your life.
The United Movement is not at all what it says it is, because definitely they’ll walk alone in the front, with guitars blasting, drums pounding and the vocals screaming, sighing, whispering, moaning. Like a blast from the good old days of Noiserock that keeps me going this day still, this record has only fours songs, but sometimes that is all that it takes to make you a fan, innit? And what more does it take at times than an electric guitar, distorted and overdriven but not that much, a drumset and mics? The riffs are simple yet cleverly constructed, the songs are straight forward with just that much dynamics to make you grab your beer tighter so you can shake your whole body without spilling too much. After more songs and more songs I even feel the damp cold and the slightly stale smell of the cellar holding tonight’s United Movement-show creep up my legs (even though I know I am still at my desk writing these words…) Which is to say, the ingredients are well known, the execution is dashingly tight and heavy and the result rocks.
Starting a movement isn’t easy, from the first primordial tribes right through history via the Christian religion and the building of nations down to Fight Club, the in-crowd and the out-crowd (or rather the not-in-crowd) were always delineated by a set of rules only known to those in. One easy way to destroy any movement (and thereby the only way to secure success in forming the movement – think about it!) is to demand from each and every follower to be his or her own master. Disguises and cloaking your faces behind masks has been likeable apparel through the ages, rock music, obviously, hasn’t. The United movement also has its own rules. If I see a set of rules, I instantly start to scan them to see which I will break by my everyday routine, which I will have to break just because they look to me as if they just have to be broken – be it to prove that free will still exists or because I am convinced that they are wrong – and then there is always that set of rules, which I will break just because an opportunity arises. This here set is an easy one. #1 says: “It is strictly forbidden to talk about music.” Check, I am out. Of course, I will have to remark upon the high-pitched metal vocals (see The Darkness) before the break in “Devil gave me a chance”.
#10 on the other hand states: “It is demanded from every UM follower to listen to himself / herself only.” Check, but that doesn’t mean I am in, right? But that is a slight consolation to the blows received beforehand, but anyway. So I listen to myself and follow the call to “Spread the myth, spread UM”, even if that means talking about music. Because it still rings true, what The Cramps sung 20 years ago: "I want some new kind of kick!". Today its "it's time to sweat again, sweat again."
[1] There is a history of that: The Nation of Ulysses / The Make*Up come to mind, sadly missed still, but also World Domination Enterprises, Atari Teenage Riot, and others. Thinking about it, even the Bloodhound Gang had something like a following with their own ideology. Where did it all start: I guess I am not wrong to say two words: KISS-Army. The Church of Elvis was founded later on, I think.

the dance of days.org
Their name was spooking around in „our scene“ for quite some time and now I finally got to hear United Movement. And even if their name made me think of NYHC at first I am almost blown away by these four songs. United Movement are a two piece: only guitars, drums and vocals yet they luckily don't sound like The White Stripes (I don't like them). The opening track „Devotion“ totally reminded me of Jawbox/Burning Airlines and I never heard a local band doing such music. They get a bit noisy every now and then, but most of the times it's post-hardcore with good, good vocals. Whenever you need a bassplayer ... (th)

www.noisy-neighbours.com
Begonnen haben United Movement mit der etwas verschrobenen Idee, einen einzigen Live-Auftritt zu absolvieren um dann völlig in der Versenkung zu Verschwinden, einzig in den Köpfen der spärlich Anwesenden weiterzuleben. Da ihnen aber die Sache zuviel Spaß gemacht hatte haben sie inkonsequenterweise weiter gemacht. Das vermummt auftretende Duo versteht sich mehr als Kunstprojekt denn als Rockband, was musikalisch aber nicht so offen zu Tage tritt. „Introducing the exploration“ bietet eine noisige, rifforientierte Rockmelange mit treibender Schlagzeugarbeit und meist melodiösem Gesang. Sie bewegen sich dabei vorteilhaft weg von konventionellen Songstrukturen ohne
übermäßig experimentell zu sein und bemühen sich um originelle Breaks. Die meiner Meinung nach arg cleane Gitarrenarbeit könnte aber durchaus etwas innovativer sein, gerade „Prepare your flesh“ weist zwischendrin doch eine arg öde Dudelei auf. Auch vocaltechnisch wünscht man sich mehr Mut zur Ekstase. Die Idee hinter UM ist zwar momentan noch spannender als ihr Sound,
dennoch steckt hörbar Potential in dieser „Band“. Mit etwas mehr Dreck und Druck in der Produktion sowie einer konsequenteren und innovativeren Gitarrenarbeit könnte uns großes Bevorstehen. Undergroundspürnasen sollten diese interessante EP unbedingt mal antesten. (Christian Eder)