iO – For The Masses

Releasedate: 01-09-2008; Label: Rocker Team Records/Intergroove/Astral Music
By: Sabine van Gameren

It’s often said that rock n roll is a trashy genre. In order to look cool, people turn themselves in rockers. Rock bands are everywhere, but how many actually have something to say?
iO is a band from Germany. You might recognize the members of the band by their former productions. As a vocalist, soul singer Charles Simmons rises. The rest of the band contains out of the ashes of Guano Apes.

Why the hell would a soul singer unite with those rockers? Well In the first sentence you hear on their debut album “For The Masses” it is already explained. “R&B has lost its soul, that is why I Rock n Roll.”
How straightforward can a message be? iO doesn’t lead you around riddles and question marks. No polished sentences to get you brains to work when iO is talking to you.
Then again, a soul singer is not necessarily a great rocker. Does Charles have enough trash in him, does he got the ability to make people believe in his anger?
I say he does! In the first song “Say Something” he draws a heavy “Scream”. Further more, he often touches the harder, virulent side of his range. Actually when thinking about what I heard, my mind stumbled over the thought that a Jonathan Davis (Korn) approach would suit this music as well.
While Charles is spitting his fire on what bothers him in nowadays life, he gets very well supported by his band mates. Guitars on this album might not sound like the most original, but the heavy, thick sound is perfect in addition of the vocals. Same counts for bass. Drums stand out for me. They claim a pretty prominent place in the music which is definitely a pro here!

“For The Masses” is a steady rock album, somehow surprising while with musicians like them the expectations were high already. My only point of this album might be the lyrics. There is no mystic in it. Straightforward, sure, but in some songs it turns a bit in a direction of an easy rhyme. Maybe, in some way this music is made “For The Masses” after all, which is not always a bad thing at all.

Line Up:
Charles Simmons – Vocals
Dennis Poschwatta – Drums
Henning Rümenapp – Guitar
Stefan Ude – Bass

Links:
iO MySpace
iO Official