Review Summary: [u]Of Love and Lunacy[/u] is comparable to a Carne Asada burrito with way too much lettuce and rice; There is a load of good stuff in here, but its also chock full of tasteless junk.
Still Remains –
Of Love and Lunacy
Still Remains were:
T.J. Miller – Vocals
Mike Church – Guitar
Jordan Whelan – Guitar
Evan Wiley – Bass
A.J. Barrette – Drums
Zach Roth - Keyboard
Christian metalcore is a subgenre enjoyed by many, yet despised by a countless number of people as well. It has been noted for its choppy but melodic guitar, frequently absent bass, and simple drum patterns lead by the double bass. This is all backing up screaming vocals, with melodious bits during the choruses. Few bands have successfully made use of this bland formula;
As I Lay Dying,
Haste the Day, and
August Burns Red are some of the better known. The now defunct
Still Remains’ debut full length,
Of Love and Lunacy, is often tedious, but the band managed to pull off some stellar tracks as well as leaving their mark on the genre with a unique sound.
A notable quality of the band that really sticks out to the listener is the presence of a keyboard; this isn’t common among American bands, let alone American metalcore. While the overall atmosphere created by the keyboard and the plethora of scales and arpeggios sound great, Zach was far too conservative. There aren’t any keyboard solos here (although there aren’t really any guitar solos either), and by the end of the album the only keyboard/piano that will stick in one’s head will be the
White Walls’ bridge, and the piano interlude,
With What You Have.
After listening to a large amount of mathcore and progressive metal, it is difficult to hear this guitar and be impressed at all, but the overall riff work is actually quite well done, when the song is well done. In between the musical riffs is constant palm muting, and this gets old after a while but all metalcore does this anyways. The difference between good and bad here is dramatic to say the least. The top tracks on here deserve to be called classics of the genre, whereas the poor songs here are pretty trashy. It’s as if the album consists of a few great tracks, and then a few terrible clones of those songs.
Cherished stands as a culmination of all the album does well, while
Blossom, the Witch is a five and a half minute suckfest that drags on far too long. As well as clearing out the gunk in this album (it is 12 songs long and a whopping 50 minutes), the addition of solos could have made this marvelous.
While slightly overproduced, the clean singing here is excellent, and I am all for its frequent use. Oddly enough, the screaming here is pretty mediocre. Not to mention it sounds way too forced, like Jonathan Davis’ vocals in a majority of
Untouchables. It’s hard to compare the vocal styles, but they are both unpleasant. Drums are a no show as well; the beats are almost exactly the same, while fills are few and far between. There is double pedal though, so that makes it cool, right?
The lyrical content is almost entirely religious, as this is a Christian metalcore band. Many will completely ignore them, but if you take a look, they are simple but slightly metaphorical and not too tacky. Most tracks will describe turning away from God and needing to return, constantly sinning against God and begging to be forgiven, etc. White Walls describes struggling to survive in a psychiatric ward, which is a welcome departure from the truckload of religious “enlightenment”. I can’t believe I am saying this but it might have been nice to have some songs pertain to love and relationships, to add some variation to the lyrics.
Recommended Tracks:
White Walls – This is the best song on the album. Amazingly catchy riffs and chorus as well as a calming bridge, and the section between the first two choruses is energetic and beautifully done. This song is probably the best lyrically on the album as well.
Recovery – It feels more romantic, but the lyrics here are still primarily religious. This song is one of the longest on the album. Great clean vocals and the buildup at the end is epic.
I Can Revive Him With My Own Hands – What makes this song stand out is its ability to be melodic without clean vocals, and because of this it also manages to be the heaviest track on the album. I almost prefer the original version of this from their EP,
If Love Was Born To Die, but both renderings are exciting.
Cherished – The aforementioned culmination of all this album has to offer; great singing, better screaming, and the keyboard here is really great as well. It is also the ideal length, clocking in at just under four and a half minutes.
Tracks that fan boys will recommend to you, but you should actually avoid:
The Worst Is Yet To Come – One of, if not the most overrated song in the entire genre. The intro is nice, as is the chorus, but otherwise it is just boring chugging with too much of the vocalist’s strained screaming.
Blossom, The Witch – The only thing different I see with this track is the addition of some wimpy pop screeches, but it is the second longest track on the album and the ending goes on way too long. Since it is also the last track on the album, it makes one really want to rip the CD out of the player and toss it out the window.
To Live And Die By Fire – I will admit that this is a great start to the album, as it is decent, but this song gets too much praise. The chorus is pretty bad; there are much better tracks on here.
In Place Of Hope – Not only is this song boring, but it also sounds like a sub par
Haste the Day song. Nay for rip-offs!
This album burns itself by being far too long and abstaining from taking chances musically.
Still Remains could have easily kept the top eight tracks and made a 35-minute metalcore masterpiece. Instead, they take the “bigger is better” approach, and this album falls far short of spectacular. It, like the metalcore genre in general, contains numerous flashes of brilliance that are ultimately lost in a sea of generic garbage.
Pros:
Keyboard present; it makes the band somewhat unique
Clean singing
Occasional riffs
Better tracks are excellent
Cons:
Screaming
Keyboard and Guitars aren’t inventive enough, needs more soloing
A lot of the music is too generic
The worst songs on here are pretty bad
Score: 3/5
