Review Summary: A solid metalcore ep that is above average
With Life in Mind is a metal band from Philadelphia that tries to stake their claim into the metalcore genre. The band itself isn’t just another cash in though; they have a distinct sound that separates them from the herd of metalcore. With Life in Mind has some thought behind their music, and this is made known their ep, The Human Condition. A quote from their MySpace states that “the band made conscious choice to make certain their songs were finely-honed before unleashing them on the world”.
With Life in Mind sounds a lot like an early version of August Burns Red and one can tell that they are major inspiration in their music. The vocals sound different from others out there, but they’re great. The lyrics are the thing I respect most about this band. There is a new topic in every song, and the vocals allow almost every word to be understood. The guitars also sound good, mostly because there not the chugga chugga that a lot of bands take advantage of. The drums use a good use of different china that has been missing in recent metalcore. A major gripe is the production quality isn’t very good, but it’s understandable with this being their first ep.
A lot of the songs start to sound the same on this ep, and if you didn’t look at the song title, you might not know which song you’re listening to. My two personal favorites are "Godless Complex", and "Walking the Straight and Narrow". Listen to these two songs, and you could probably get your fill of With Life in Mind, even though the other songs sound pretty much the same but these are just the highlights.
Overall, this ep is a good first ep, and I listen to it every now and then and enjoy it. If you are a fan of metalcore, meaningful lyrics, and talented instruments then these guys are worth at least a listen. With Life in Mind also released their first full album Grievances, but I have yet to listen to it. They also mentioned that they are finished recording there second album to be released later this year.
Good:
-Lyrics
-Not a ton of breakdowns
-Guitars sound really good
Bad:
-Production quality
-Songs start to sound the same
