Review Summary: Amarionette have, with only their second release, made a solid EP, worthy of anyone's music collection. Though what they take from their influences is apparent, they do so while putting a unique twist on it, and in doing so, have made a release that's an
Dangerous Times and My Dangerous Ways, aside from being a mouthful of a title, is the second release from the Sin City based post hardcore act, who formed only two years ago in 2010.
The EP starts off with a bang, opening with "Pretty Little Liar". After a catchy intro, the vocals come in, courtesy of frontman Quin White, and, if you've never listened to the band before, prepare to be in for a shock, as his voice bears a striking similarity to that of Claudio Sanchez of Coheed fame. And in an odd way, that isn't much of a surprise. The band has never been shy about their influences, whom are evident on the release, and tend to advertise themselves to fans of those bands.
Though their second track, and first single, "Screaming is Serious Business" is the track that bears the most similarities to their aforementioned influence, as well as another large influence of theirs, Dance Gavin Dance. This song, from a technical standpoint, is the most impressive of the release, containing prog like elements one would expect from Coheed, but with subtle elements that aren't all that unfamiliar of Dance Gavin Dance. It's a strong track, though if it had a downside , it would be its production. It's the only song that seems over produced, with the guitar sounding much thinner than on the other songs, and the vocals seem to be mixed much louder on this one than on the other songs. It's not that big of a deal, but it is definitely noticeable when listening through.
The next two tracks, "Perfect Mistake" and "So Much Better", make up the stronger half of the release, with the former being a re-recorded version of a track from their previous release, and the latter being the strongest song on the EP.
"Perfect Mistake", despite being a strong song, seems like an odd fit here. Aside from lacking that rawer sound its previous version, there's no real difference here. If anything, it's the same exact recording, just mastered differently to fit in on this release. It seems rather cheap, re-mastering an old track instead of writing a new one, especially given that there's so few songs on this release to begin with.
And we come to a close with "So Much Better", saving the best for last. The song follows a formula that's rather similar to "Pretty Little Liar", with the chordy yet catchy intro, and Quin's strong vocals leading into an extremely catchy chorus, this time with the rest of the band filling in with some "woahs" and even a guitar solo.
Amarionette have, with only their second release, made a solid EP, worthy of anyone's music collection. Though what they take from their influences is apparent, they do so while putting a unique twist on it, and in doing so, have made a release that's an absolute treat to listen to.
