by Cory Blackwood
staff editor

Musically, this plan doesn't work so well. The Urge was St. Louis' next great hope in music. While they have their niche, it is a small one, and the only rabid followers of the band are St. Louis residents. Gravity Kills went from industrial-rock sensation to industrial rock joke in the span of an album. Even Radio Iodine, a band possessing true talent and musical savvy, broke up, probably at least in part to the pressure of their hometown.

Die Symphony has been around long enough to see all of this happen, and now they are ready to make a go at stardom, win, lose, or self-destruct. Their debut EP, "Codependence Day," is not on a label yet, but it is obvious that the primary purpose of the album is to get attention from record labels.

Most EP's are released as such (not full length) for one of two reasons: one, because money runs out, or two, because the band has no more songs ready to record. Either way, Die Symphony's new album only has five songs on it, along with some concert footage CD-ROM material found on nearly half of the albums out today.

"Codependence Day" has some good songs on it, but they aren't particularly original. Die Symphony formed in 1996, right during the surge of Nine Inch Nails tag-alongs like Stabbing Westward and previously mentioned Gravity Kills.

Die Symphony has some talent; that much is obvious. That they have the maturity to write their own songs right now is not such a definite fact. Had they formed two years later, there is no doubt that they would have adapted a rap/metal vibe, as it is more commercially appealing. Die Symphony does put on an energetic and impressive live show, an added bonus many bands cannot seem to attain. What they need now is to sit back and write some material that means more to them, and some music with their own feel, and not just become Filter, Part 2.