Review Summary: Texas In July has grown up.
Metalcore seems to have had something of an uphill battle when it comes to gaining respect from metal listeners, at least as far as the 21st century is concerned. Sure there are plenty of fans of the genre, but there are also plenty of detractors. Texas In July has never been what anyone would call a bright light shining out from the depths of the genre, but has managed to power through long enough to toss out three relatively solid albums. The problem is that there are too many bands just like them, bands that toss out fairly well executed records, but don’t strive to push the genre in the modern age. With Bloodwork, Texas In July aren’t smashing open the gates of the genre but are certainly proving how far a band can push the quality of repeat business. With the aid of popular youtube vocalist JT Cavey, Texas In July has found that special something they and many of their ilk have been missing.
In the past, TIJ has been accused of being nothing more than an August Burns Red worship band, and truth be told the band’s discography doesn’t exactly work against that belief. The band’s style has always been a juxtaposition of fast pedal point riffing and breakdowns, while building a foundation for a vocalist with a range limited to screaming and no time for the clean vocals common in the genre. The trick was that TIJ’s vocalist wasn’t nearly as good as ABR’s and the music lacked some of the technicality and even more of the energy. Well on Bloodwork I’m happy to say that the band has clearly figured out what they were missing. This album is packed to the brim with energy, passion, and inspired playing. The style is the same, but refined and in some ways more adventurous. JT Cavey’s vocals are a tremendous asset, with a powerful roar often reminiscent of The Ghost Inside or Counterparts. His range isn’t the most impressive thing ever, but he does a great job of sounding committed to the music on his first outing with the band and keeps things very interesting. His vocals actually seem to have more in common with melodic hardcore than metalcore, but the fit is undeniable.
As always when it comes to metalcore, the breakdown discussion has to enter the limelight. The band has in no way skimped on that fare, but manage to do them very well. Speed has always complemented breakdowns well in my experience and TIJ let theirs run at breakneck speeds. Look no further than the first breakdown of “Defenseless” which explodes into an absolutely vicious maelstrom of palm muting. Some rough sounding cleans slip in from an unknown source on “Sweetest Poison” and on other tracks colossal gang vocals (“Nooses”) serve to highlight choruses and add some variety. Most times however the band ops for letting Cavey scream over the choruses while guitar leads serve as the melody. The band also experiments with softer passages at multiple moments on songs such as “Inner Demons” that are usually brief but satisfying excursions. However the biggest change of pace is in the second half of the record on “Decamilli” which is fully instrumental. In the absence of Cavey’s commanding presence the band proves they can stand on their own two feet. Clean guitars, soloing, and an extended drum solo all make appearances to build up a clear album highlight.
The guitars are very proficient in their craft, with plenty of technical riffs and leads. The breakdowns are appropriately binary but the guitarists implement some groovier sounding riffs with note bending to add variety. TIJ’s drummer is an absolute beast on the kit, with a breakneck performance and extremely varied beats. Fills abound and add a ton of energy to an already energetic album. The only place the band falls short in is the usual pitfall of metalcore. The bass is nearly nonexistent when the gain is turned up, but when clean guitars show up bass licks often augment them pleasantly. Production wise Bloodwork sounds like modern metalcore, it’s clean to let the instruments (mostly) shine but there’s enough punch in the mix to give little cause for complaint.
Texas In July are definitely not genre bending, but genre building. They have clearly honed the craft of making modern metalcore sound great at its root. One can wonder what the band would be like if they did experiment more, but for now Texas In July is just fine where they’re at.
