Review Summary: Silverstein stays within their safe zone, but this EP still shows promise for the band and is sure to both excite and scare fans.
Silverstein are one of those bands that you can just never forget. Every single time they put out something new, it’s big. Preparing to put out their 5th full length record, “Transitions” is a hold over EP while the band finishes up their upcoming album. This EP features three brand new tracks, an acoustic song and a Nine Inch Nails cover. Though the last two track may seem random and out of place, it’s nice to hear something new from the band.
Of course the big news here is the three new tracks. Will they be in the upcoming full length? No idea, probably. All three of the tracks are great though, despite the fact that the band hasn’t changed one bit. Depending on who you are, that can either be a good thing or bad thing. The band has found it’s safe sound, but may be a little too scared to venture out of that safe spot.
When ‘Sacrifice’ begins playing you instantly begin to notice the point I am making, their sound hasn’t changed one bit. The song opens fast and never really slows down, and while it has a somewhat catchy chorus, the sound is so familiar that it’s hard to distinguish it from most of the bands more recent songs. ‘Darling Harbour’ feels and sounds like more of a pop-punk track than anything, opening with Shane’s soft voice leading into an extremely catchy riff section. This is easily the best of the three songs, it has a great feel to it and is really easy to listen to.
Than begins the heaviest track on the EP, ‘Dancing on My Grave’. Shane’s screams blast through the speakers as the drum hits hard right along with the guitars. The clean and screaming vocals are perfectly balanced here, as they bounce back and forth between each other throughout the song. The breakdown is good and the song is just full of anger. ‘Replace You’ is the one bonus acoustic song on the EP, and it’s everything you’d expect from a Silverstein acoustic track. It’s simple and average, but effective. Last but not least we have ‘Wish’, a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song. While Silverstein is no NIN, they still do a great job of covering the song without destroying to much of the original song.
“Transitions” is a great little addition to the bands discography, but it might fear some fans of the band for what will come in their full length. Though it features a promising sound, we have heard it all before from the band. Maybe their change from Victory to Hopeless Records will show some slight change, but for now I still have high hopes for the upcoming album, and this is all thanks to the three brand new tracks featured on this EP.
