Review Summary: Wasted Potential
I’ve been reviewing albums on my own time for over 5 years now and this was the first ever album I’ve reviewed. Black Tide soared onto the scene with their debut album ‘Light From Above’ and two albums later we are here. Chasing Shadows shows the many strengths that Black Tide possess but this album also shows the many weaknesses that have popped up through the years.
Let’s get right into it.
Positives- Gabriel Garcia’s vocals have improved every single album and Chasing Shadows is no exception. While some tracks showcase so ‘phoned-in’ vocals you can tell he’s worked on them and improved. Another pro is that the mixing and production didn’t take as noticeable of a hit as I would expect after leaving Interscope and releasing their first album on Pavement Entertainment. On songs like Sex In Angry, Guidelines and Predator there are some nice guitar passages that still shows that new members are talented. That leads me into the negatives.
Negatives- After their second album ‘Post Mortem’ everything seemed to change for Black Tide. Steven Spence (drummer) and Zakk Sandler (bass) left the group, leaving Interscope records, losing even more members till all that was left was Garcia, Austin Diaz (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Cody Paige (drums, percussion). This is a recipe for disaster for any band but for a band this young with the members being so young the end product reflects the turmoil. The album lacks character, originality and any growth from Post Mortem. Writing credits are solely on Garcia for the first time in the band’s history and it shows. While his vocals are vastly improved his writing isn’t and it makes the album as a whole very same sounding and a slog to get through.
Track Highlights- The one and only single from this album, Angel In The Dark, is a good representation of this album, has potential but ultimately falls flat and is still one of the best songs on the record. Heaven is the true ballad on the album while super cheesy lyrics and delivery keep it from actually being good Garcia’s vocals and the simple structure is a nice addition to the album and stands out. The last track I will highlight is Guidelines. It is the first true song on the record after a brief intro track. It’s a solid song and is what we come to expect from Black Tide even if the line “I'll live my life with no guidelines” as a punchline is not the most badass thing I have ever heard.
Overall- Chasing Shadows has no punch, no charm and is not worth the 40 minutes of time to listen through the record. If you listen to Heaven, Angel In The Dark and Guidelines and aren’t impressed, move on, nothing to see here. Black Tide had so much potential and immaturity and lineup changes did them in. As of 2016 Black Tide broke up and doesn’t seem likely to ever reform. Chasing Shadows is as average as average gets from a group that was more talented than average as seen by where the leaving members went on to do.
