Review Summary: A breath of fresh air in a stale genre.
Atlantic versus Pacific, East versus west, East Coast versus West Coast, California versus North Carolina. What does this have to do with a CD, you may ask. Well, A Skylit Drive hails from Sacramento, Ca and was signed to the North Carolina record label, Tragic Hero Records. They have been compared to
Chiodos,
Thursday, and
Taking Back Sunday, but do these comparisons hold up? Or is it just another record label trying to sell more albums? Is this another generic album in Post-Hardcore/Screamo, or is it really a breath of fresh air? Does this band have what it takes to make it big? Let us take a dive into the deep end and see.
Right off the bat, you can hear one of the greatest aspects of this band, their vocals. They have the layered vocals, in vein of TBS, and each line has emotion behind it. They have everything from singing to screaming to yelling, to death growls; however, they know how to transition from each vocal style and makes each one sound better then the previous. They may be young, but they know how to write songs and lyrics. Yes, it may be “emo” lyrics, but what do you expect from the music industry now a days? Would you rather have “emo” lyrics or a rap song talking about Chicken Noodle Soup with a soda on the side? Anyway back to the point, with their lyrics and writing style, they’ve made some of their songs catchy as hell, ex.
“Drown The City.”
Taking a backseat to the vocals and lyrics are the guitars. They’re not the best guitars in the world, but they pass the grade with getting the job done. They get some decent intros and riffs into the music, but nothing to really go, “HELL YEAH THAT RIFF WAS F***ING AWESOME!” The guitarists could pass with this kind of performance and the band still get signed to a major record deal, but these guys are young enough to where they can progress their music and actually make an impact, or at least be equal with vocals and drums.
Talking about drums, they are the bass of this group. Yes, the band has a bass player, but he’s so down in the mix you can hardly hear it. The drums hold the songs together with the blasts and the snare drum being a big part in
“Hey Nightmare, Where Did You get Them Teeth?” The only complaint I feel about the drums, and this goes for every other band I listen to, is that they need to think outside of the box and use a drum solo or two. It would make a 100 percent generic band close to a 50 percent generic band. This is just a preference for me though.
A Skylit Drive’s “She Watched The Sky,” is a pretty solid debut EP in a quite stale and generic Post-Hardcore/Screamo scene. Are they the next
Chiodos,
Thursday, or
Taking Back Sunday? No, not yet anyway. After a year or two, when they grow up and become even more mature, they could be one of the top bands out there. Is this band a breath of fresh air? Yes and no. They are generic in some ways, but do make their music sound originally in some aspects. I rate this album a 4/5.
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Rating Breakdown
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Vocals/Lyrics: 4.5
Guitars/Bass: 3
Drums: 4
3.83/5
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1. Ability to Create a War – 3.5
2. Drown the City – 4.5
3. All Star Diaries – 4.25
4. Hey Nightmare, Where Did You Get Them Teeth – 3.5
5. The Past, The Love, The Memory – 3.75
6. Reason for Broken Wings - 4
7. According to Columbus – 5
4.07/5
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3.83 + 4.07 = 7.9 / 2 = 3.95
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Pros:
Vocals
A breath of fresh air in a stale genre
Young enough to become a great band
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Cons:
Guitarists disappoint me
Bass is low in the mix
