Review Summary: I've never heard an album try so hard, yet fall so flat.
These guys gave out a very interesting sound in Love is love that definitely drew me in, what with their unorganized song structure and feedback heavy guitar work. These things have remained in this record but I feel as if they are used in a tactless, uninteresting way. It doesn't catch your attention, it wasn't the brutal, crushing album that they promised it would be. This record does not "demand" to be the king of the genre (whatever genre you guys want this to be,) but you can tell it wants to be.
The first thing I noticed was their name change. Simply dropping the "kids" part of their name, as if to say "I'm not kid anymore! Jeez!" I didn't want to make any immediate judgments as that would be disingenuous of me, they just as easily could have thought the "kids" part was tacky, or it just didn't ring with them anymore.
The second thing I noticed was the album art, it looked like it tries very hard to say "We're ***ing so brutal, man. This *** is gonna crush you, this *** is ***in' serious as ***." It looks like a tacky version of a typical powerviolence album art. Black borders? Check. Gray scale image of some sort of strange image evoking violence? Check. Jarring font and non-complimentary font color choice? Check and check.
But it would be dishonest and shallow of me to be so critical based purely off of some arbitrary factors, like band name and album art. What matters is the music, I've listened to these guys before, and liked them! I have every reason to give these guys the chance that they deserve. There are plenty of sweet records flying around with terrible, cringey imagery and plenty of awesome bands, with names that sound pop-punk at best...
If you could "listen" to an image, this record would be the sound that it's art makes.
We start off with nothing but guitar feedback and the terrible use of sudden stops with pure silence that start again with the feedback, you'd think your you tube player stopped, but aside from that, the first track is actually pretty okay, with good use of drum work and rhythm change, but it's mostly downhill from there. Throughout the entire album, it's filled with slow riffs you swear you've heard a few times before (and not from these guys.) They use the low toned speaking sections with the sinister guitar noodling that worked so well for converge and cult leader. These don't work here, they're used at the wrong time and sound empty and uninteresting. The drumming isn't all that great, nothing unique. The bass never really does anything interesting either. They keep implementing this weird ringing noise in some of their songs that just do absolutely nothing but bug you and remind you that these guys want you to know they're super heavy!
The most frustrating part of this album, is that occasionally you'll hear a good moment, unique sounds, good percussion, but they are far and few between. This was by no means a 'bad' or 'terrible' album, it was listenable and I rather like their harsh vocal style. But god damn it if I haven't heard a band try so desperately hard to be a cool "converge-inspired" band mixed by Kurt Ballou on Deathwish label.
"We're so heavy guys, we swear!"
In all honesty though, I think these guys just need time to develop their musicianship, song writing skills, and mature as a band overall. After all, they're not that much older than myself.
