Review Summary: Evergreen Terrace further proves why they are among the best (and fastest) with their strongest effort yet.
Evergreen Terrace is band that sticks to what they know. What they know is fun, melodic hardcore with breakdowns galore. They do this better than anyone else. So many bands get more attention for playing the same sort of music, but they all seem mediocre compared to Evergreen Terrace. Maybe it is the feeling of sincerity in every song, or the fact that the clean vocals have some testicles to them, or maybe it is the fact that scenesters and hardcore bros like McCloskey can be in the same crowd. Evergreen Terrace just knows how to make fun melodic hardcore to get drunk to.
Everything about this album is a direct improvement on
Wolfbiker. The drumming is as consistent as ever, with interesting drum fills and a ton of double bass, while never feeling repetitive. Interesting leads are abound on this album, there are solos (especially on the title track) that capture your attention, and everything just feels ramped up to the next level. At times it is angrier than anything they have ever done, and at times Evergreen Terrace reaches a level of melody that they never previously reached.
The vocals are also improved. Craig Chaney’s clean vocals are stronger than on previous albums. He is featured more than on
Wolfbiker and deservedly so. He sounds nothing like anyone else in the metalcore genre. Andrew Carey, is still up to his same old dry screams, but it seems he has a bit more of a snarl at times. The songwriting is still strong, slightly repetitive, but with more standouts than previous albums. “Enemy Sex” is fast and ferocious, destined to be a live favorite. “God Rocky, is That Your Face” is nonstop anger, never letting you breathe, and “Mario Speedwagon” might be the best track on the album, with great melodies and an undeniable catchiness to it.
Still, the album is not much of a departure for the band, the songwriting doesn’t stray from their formula. This wouldn’t be too much of a detriment if it weren’t for the fact that occasionally you find yourself wondering which previous album you had heard this from. Also, “Not Good Enough” is a weak closer compared to “The Damned” off of
Wolfbiker. The album ends on a bit of a low note, as it is one of the weakest songs on the album.
All in all, Evergreen Terrace comes out with an album further proving why they are not your average metalcore band. Evergreen Terrace has cemented their sound and are comfortable with where they are. They are at the top of the heap in a supposed dying genre, and continue to prove why they deserve to be mentioned among the big players in the hardcore half of metalcore. Evergreen Terrace is as fun as metalcore gets, so sit back, have a beer, and enjoy.
