Review Summary: New Found Glory isn't the only good pop-punk band from FL.
Glasseater is a record that will most likely upset many people. It’s mainly a pop-punk record with elements of hardcore mixed in. To some the aggressive moments may seem out of place but, they help to add another degree of emotion to the record. Their sound is similar to that of New Found Glory or A Day To Remember.
For those familiar with Glasseater’s earlier work, this marks a change a significant change in the vocal style. The harsh vocals are now more in the metalcore vein as opposed to the screamo like yelp on their previous work. This new style sounds a little more out of place although the screams do sound more mature and developed.
The record starts off with a nearly perfect pop-punk gem titled Medicine. One of the few songs on the record that doesn’t include any screaming, it is easily accessible by those looking for a sample. It’s your typical pop-punk song with loud but not-to-heavy guitars and a somewhat nasally high-pitched voice that is all too common in the genre. The drums are nothing to write home about, though the kick drum does stand as being significantly louder than it should be. Getting you to sing along shouldn’t be a problem with the repetition of the line “The only medicine I ever needed was you” which is catchy as hell.
Nonsense To You, Everything To Us starts off in the same pop-punk vein and then all of sudden, about half way through the song, you get your first helping of the harsh vocals with “They don’t understand!” being belted out. The guitars get heavier and put off a more aggressive vibe at this point and the tone shifts away from its happy origins. This is going to be the breaking point for many people. If you don’t like the harsh vocals, you’re only going to like about half of the songs on here.
They make use of the breakdown quite effectively. Breakdowns don’t constantly bombard you like in an A Day To Remember album but they do rear their head occasionally. In Weekend Sellout it works particularly well with excellent buildup until everything comes crashing down and double bass and chugga-chugga riffs surround you. It isn’t overly heavy but works perfectly with the rest of the song.
Alone In A World Without You may be their most popular song due to its appearance on a Punk Goes Acoustic release. On this record it is not acoustic however, it does have a very different vibe than the rest of the album. It is significantly slower and more emotional than the other songs. The intro guitar line will have you hooked from the get go. Repetition may kill this song though as it comes in at right around the 4 minute mark and doesn’t really change much other than repeating the chorus over and over again.
As a whole the album has a fairly upbeat and poppy tone to it making it fairly easily accessible. While some songs are forgettable, you’ll no doubt be humming some of these tunes after listening to this. Those interested in the heavier side of pop-punk and the poppier side of hardcore will most likely enjoy this. It isn’t anything entirely new but, it combines the best of both worlds without making it a ridiculous mish-mosh piece of garbage.
