 | Tracklist:
1. The Sage Of Washington Oaks
2. Close Your Eyes And Look Away
3. When One Was Desolate
4. Humannequin
5. Upon Deaf Ears
6. A Sponge In The Ocean
7. Fearfully Unafraid
8. Manumission
9. The Man Behind The Hands
10. I, The Jury
Release Date: 2009 | |
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On 24 Lists
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| Summary: As far as post-hardcore goes, this is one of the few truly interesting albums to be released in a while. |
3 of 3 thought this review was well written
The Color Morale are a 5-piece post-hardcore unit from Rockford, IL and on this album are comprised of:
Garret Rapp: Vocals
John Bross: Guitar/Vocals
Justin Hieser: Bass/Vocals
Ramon Mendoza: Guitar
Steve Carey: Drums
As pretty much every review regarding these types of albums state, post-hardcore and related genres (or subgenres, if you prefer) are becoming very crowded scenes. The mid 2000s brought with them hundreds of fresh faces, most of them typically young and occasionally talented. However, the majority of the music created by these new groups tended to lump together in a similar fashion, and became what we know as "generic".
To be reassured, The Color Morale are not victims of this curse. In fact, We All Have Demons is quite an interesting and refreshing, if not perfect, listen. The band certainly possesses talent, and while not completely original, they work with what they have to make something creative. We All Have Demons is a short listen, barely over 34 minutes, yet is compelling enough for a second, and third, (and fourth, blah blah blah) spin.
Now, onto the content.
The guitarists, John and Ramon, are not remarkable, spectacular, virtuosic, incredible players, but are fairly decent. Taking this into account, they are able to create sinister riffs, beautiful atmospheric melodies, like "Resource: Recourse", and innovative passages, such as on "Manumission" and "Hope's Anchor". Garret, who provides vocals (screamed and sung) has some impressive pipes. While his screaming usually only relies on lower-tone and higher-tone, his sung vocals have a tiny southern tinge to them, and are beautiful. His performances on such songs as "Resource: Recourse", "Humannequin", "Manumission" and "Hope's Anchor" showcase his range and his power to dominate a melody, and are definitely a highlight of the album. The lack of studio tricks, auto-tuning, and over-layering is also a major thumbs-up. Unfortunately, the bassist, Justin, is (as usual) lost in the mix. When able to be heard, the bass seems to follow the rhythm guitar and is one of few disappointments on this album. The drummer, Steve, definitely is the most talented of the musicians, providing tricky and interesting rhythms, good but unoriginal fills, and some complex handiwork, but even he cannot save this album of its plague: the breakdown. While not overused, the breakdown still appears in We All Have Demons. Admittedly, it is not utilized particularly well, such as in "Humannequin" and "When One Was Desolate". The song "The Sage of Washington Oaks" is basically just an intro breakdown with some nice vocals at the end. While the breakdowns and the lack of a bassist are hindrances on the band's true talent, they present opportunities for progress and improvement; taking their criticisms into account, TCM have the potential to create a perfect album.
Overall, this album presents ten songs that are varied and have differences, yet flow well with their similarities. It promises major potential for these young men and possibly this genre as a whole. We All Have Demons is not perfect, but it is a fun experience and has lots and lots of promise.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
First review. This sounds pretty shitty but I got my point across. I think i might add a section concerning the lyrics soon.
Digging: The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence | | |
your formatting got all fucked for the second half
Digging: Love American - Disquiet Digging: Love American - Disquiet
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dont listen to bands that spell their names wrong
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This is a damn good cd.Was way better than I expected it to be.
Digging: Code Orange Kids - Cycles
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Nice album, really.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I like it
Digging: The Safety Fire - Grind The Ocean | | | Album Rating: 4
Knott which part are they misspelling?
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colour
;P
| | | Album Rating: 4
Haha. But yea the review was pretty good and I like this album a lot.
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good review, but that main paragraph was fucking impossible to read. a lot of interruptions, overuse of (), and formatting
Digging: Incantation - Onward to Golgotha
| | | Album Rating: 3 | Sound Off
A review at last! I enjoyed the vocals on this, but the songs were simply average.
Digging: Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight | | | Album Rating: 4
Thanks for the tips, I'm gonna rewrite the second paragraph later today or tomorrow. And the formatting looked better on the composition page haha :/
| | | Album Rating: 4
Nevermind. Just edited it. More criticism welcome.
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good edit, pos from me
| | | Album Rating: 4
I kinda think this band deserves a lot more credit. Especiallyyy considering that that they're 1 of very few actually talented bands on Rise. And if you've every met Garret he's the nicest fucking dood alive.
| | | Album Rating: 4
ur the nicest fucking dood alive
| | | Album Rating: 4
this album makes me want to grab my boob
| | | Album Rating: 4
already done
| | | Album Rating: 4
as we can all see
| | | Album Rating: 4
Comments: 4
08.19.10
be my lover
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