12 of 22 thought this review was well writtenHawthorne Heights was formed out of a desire to play music that the members were passionate about, with the ultimate goal being to become a full-time, professional band. Their dreams are fulfilled now with the release of their Victory Records debut, "The Silence In Black And White".
Forming in Dayton, OH in June of 2001 under the name "A Day In The Life", the band decided to rename their previous musical endeavor due to lineup changes and evolving musical styles. With the final lineup in place, Hawthorne Heights began playing out on several national self-booked tours, sharing stages with bands like Descendents, From Autumn To Ashes and Coheed And Cambria. Fast forward to November, 2003, Chicago, IL. Victory Records? President, Tony Brummel, is doing his usual Saturday morning demo listening and plays the Hawthorne Heights CD. He is sold on the band immediately, as is the rest of the Victory staff, and the Hawthorne Heights boys drive from Dayton to Chicago to showcase for the label. They sign a deal with Victory shortly thereafter.
Hawthorne Heights recorded "The Silence In Black And White" over four weeks in Madison, WI at Smart Studios and in Chicago, IL at Big Gold Studios with Dan Duszynski in February and March of 2004. "The recording process this time around was an experience within itself. We got to take our time and experiment a lot more than we've been used to in the past. Sonically, this record is such a step up from anything else we've done. We are very proud of the finished product", commented Eron Bucciarelli (drums). "The Silence In Black And White" contains songs of frustration, personal growth and evolution. Musically, it tests the limitations of the "post-hardcore" and "screamo" music genres, adding deeper and darker subtleties.
Influenced by bands that range from Led Zeppelin to Quicksand to Nirvana and Shades Apart, Hawthorne Heights's brand of radiant and fiery post-hardcore is expansive yet more focused than the efforts of other bands they will be categorized with. Their triple guitar attack alone sets them apart from the rest. "With JT, Casey and Micah all playing guitar, we can add a lot of layering effects and intricacies to our music along with legitimately pulling in different musical styles", said Eron. "To us, "The Silence In Black And White" is the perfect melting pot of all of our different musical tastes."
Their pervasive crossbreed of discordance and melody with guttural growls and layered, sweet-sounding vocals brings new and imaginative depth to "The Silence In Black And White". Check out Hawthorne Heights on the road this spring with label mates Silverstein. Hawthorne Heights will be on tour all summer long and will be appearing on select dates of this summer's Warped Tour.
Hawthorne Heights is...
Eron Bucciarelli - Drums
Casey Calvert - Guitar // Throat
Micah Carli - Guitar
Matt Ridenour - Bass // Vocals
JT Woodruff - Vocals // Guitar
Song Reviews
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Life On Standby - This is a track that throws you into the world of Hawthorne Heights. The song bursts you into hard riffs and screaming like nothing I've ever heard. The song is a good opener but it has way too much screaming for my liking. But I will still listen to this frequently sa it is on of the standout tracks.
8/10
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Dissolve And Decay - This is one of my favorite songs on this album. It has a really smooth and rhythmic chorus. But then it goes into a slow bridge and you think that it's over but it throws you into this mess of screaming and fast guitar. This goes as a highlight of the album.
9/10
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Niki FM - This is one of the slower songs and that is good because I figured one was due after the monster tracks before it. Not to mention, it is a really good song, they pulled it off well. But the song does pick up in the chorus a little. I still like it a lot. Also this is the band's next single and they just finished shooting the video.
8/10
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The Transition - This starts off just like Life On Standby, but the vocals are a whine over the loud guitar. The screaming is better than ever here. This makes for a good middle track but it sounds an awful lot like filler. Not SOAD's Jet Pilot filler, but it doesn't seem like they tried hard enough.
7/10
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Blue Burns Orange - This is a really cool song title, the song is really slow. Slower than Niki FM. The lyrics stand out here also. The screaming is a bit over done on this track. Too much and and it's every other word. This isn't my favorite song. But it's still exceptional.
6/10
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Silver Bullet - This is a pretty cool song and is a breath of fresh air from the dry-heaving that they call screaming of the last track. This song has cool guitar in it and the title gives hint that it's about warewolves but it's irrelevant. Still though, it;s a good song and deserved a listen. But tha album is getting a little repetitave...
8/10
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Screenwriting An Apology - This song starts off really slow, it goes into whispers of lyrics over a guitar, then it takes a K turn into a ballad of some sort. It's not exactly a good song and the screaming sounds like wretching (the point of gagging before the vomit comes out). This song is pure balls. Possibly the worst on the album.
4/10
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Ohio Is For Lovers - This is the moment we've all been waiting for. THe hit and overplayed single turned Jamster ringtone. You probably have had your fill of this song after watching Fuse or MTV for an houe. But after all that criticizing, I;m actually going to tell you that this is the best song on the album. It has the perfect amount of screaming and tempo changes. This is what Hawthorne Heights is and if they want to remain famous then they will expand off of this songs formula.
10/10
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Wake Up Call - Wake Up Call is the songs that fallows the previous track as second best. This song also has the perfect amount of screaming. It isn't too much. This song also has good guitar, and it better for a three guitar band. This also has a really rhythmic chorus that has really cool drum rolls in it.
9/10
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Sandpaper And Silk - This is an overall simple song with really soft guitar and it fallows the EXACT same formula as Niki FM and Blue Burns Orange. For SUPER-REPETITIVITY I give this track what it deserves. There is nothing else to be said here. By the way, the screaming souns like he's going to vom, all the way.
5/10
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Speeding Up The Octaves - This song has a really cool intro and it goes into something completley different, FINALLY. But too late as this is the last song on the album. IMO, it's one of the best songs here. It's just really cool with almst no screaming. It's way better than the other average songs on the album.
8/10
IN CONCLUSION
Hawthorne Heights is an okay band with a lot of potential. This cd is their first and is about average. But the guitar work isn't that good considering that there's THREE GUITARISTS. Oh and by the way. After hearing the screaming for a while, it makes you want to vomit. It made me gag a little. Seriously, you think I have a weak stomach, think about throwup while listening to Screenwriting An Apology. I dare ya. Anyway this is much less than I expected from the hype of this band.
Standout Tracks
Ohio Is For Lovers
Wake Up Call
Niki FM
Life On Standby
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OVERALL SCORE
7/10
