Review Summary: This solid, but not outstanding release from Senses Fail is unlikely to win over any new fans and does not bring anything new to the table, but is sure to please many fans since the release of ‘Life Is Not A Waiting Room’.
Unlike their previous two records, Senses Fail’s ‘The Fire’ opens with a heavier sounding track, discarding the need for a buildup to their more memorable anthems. However, this more effective approach to the band’s existing belief in recurring musical motifs within their albums does not bring anything new to the table in terms of musical direction, but shows subtle underlying tones from their 2008 release, ‘Life Is Not A Waiting Room’. With mixing of an extremely similar nature, ‘The Fire’ displays the combination of anthemic choruses and angry vocals that are ‘classic’ to the Senses Fail sound that everybody knows and loves.
‘The Fire’ may be a disappointing buy for those listeners who have picked up this album without first listening to ‘Still Searching’, as most of the tracks included in this album are quite similar and show a degree of genericism. Although there are no real stand out tracks, this is still a solid release from Senses Fail, and probably the most consistent, which will be sure to please fans which saw their 2008 release as a bit of a let down.
Having said this, the quality of the tracks in terms of musical technicality are far superior to those from previous albums, which may be the result of new guitarist Zack Roach, replacing Heath Saraceno. The rare lead breaks that occur in ‘The Fire’ are simple but melodious, the riffs memorable, and the guitar harmonies are ever present through the thick n’ chunky rhythm guitar, as displayed in tracks ‘Headed West’, ‘Nero’, and ‘Hold On’.
Senses Fail bassist Jason Black has done a spectacular job in writing sophisticated bass lines for the seemingly simple, ‘power chord’ based tracks in ‘The Fire’. Showcases include the title track, ‘The Fire’, and ‘Saint Anthony’, where the bass drives the song completely, although not amplified enough (in my opinion.) This is definitely a highlight for ‘The Fire’, as such a quality bass player in a 'Screamo' type band is most uncommon. The bass synergises well with the ever-appropriate drumming of Dan Trapp, who doesn’t seem to stand out as much as other members of the band, but is still of a high quality, which is displayed in tracks such as ‘Safe House’.
Instrumentals in ‘The Fire’ not only sound more professional and polished, but the vocals and the quality of the lyrics written by vocalist Buddy Nielsen are definitely commendable, and almost have a poetic quality, but simple enough for any listener to relate to. The strangely edifying songs, ‘Nero’, ‘Headed West’, ‘Lifeboats’ and ‘Hold On’, show that Buddy has matured in his writing style and is actually capable of writing lyrics that aren’t based around his past experience in anger.
The anthemic, gang vocal choruses written by Senses Fail in ‘The Fire’ are accompanied by punk-themed guitar riffs, and of typical style for this band. Songs such as ‘Landslide’, ‘Nero’, ‘Lifeboats’ and ‘Hold On’ feature catchy and easily singable choruses, which will grow on you a heck of a lot after just one listen. However these choruses are very much living in the shadow of the album ‘Still Searching’, which featured some of the catchiest Senses Fail anthems to date.
Although Senses Fail have very much remained consistent from their last record, ‘The Fire’ is almost too similar to win over any new fans. Lacking real musical direction, tracks show a large degree of repetitiveness and for new listeners it may be difficult to differentiate between the tracks on the album. One track, however, shows promising signs of musical exploration. ‘New Year’s Eve’ features a minor to Major key shift in chorus entry, and the syncopated end of the song, which makes the song stand out from the others by far. ‘Nero’ and ‘Hold On’ also show signs of this direction, but unfortunately ‘promising’ is the best that we get from ‘The Fire’, as it seems like Senses Fail are very much reluctant to explore musically, unlike ‘Still Searching’, where an electronic sample was used in ‘All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues’, and a 3/4 time signature was used in ‘To The Crowded Rooms’, which really brought that album to life.
This solid, but not outstanding release from Senses Fail is unlikely to win over any new fans and does not bring anything new to the table, but is sure to please many fans since the release of ‘Life Is Not A Waiting Room’. ‘The Fire’ does hint at maturity and a little bit of new musical direction, but we are left with the ‘promising’ hope that Senses Fail will produce something spectacular in the future.
