Review Summary: The glorious sunrise is upon us and it is glowing brightly in our eyes.
For All Eternity are another band to emerge from the ever-growing Australian metalcore scene. Their debut effort "Beyond the Gates" caught the attention of many, and were recognised as possessing considerable potential. Three years later, the Aussies return with their sophomore effort "Metanoia" to set their mark on a genre well recognised for its shortfalls. However, they have managed to avoid the confinements of the genre and instead have created an album that not only builds upon their debut, but surpasses it. The band definitely plays to their strengths and completely neutralises any weaknesses they may have through intelligent songwriting. Consequently, more coherent, fluid and thoughtful songwriting has propelled the band to the top of its genre.
The band has taken all the best elements and have removed all the stale moments from its predecessor to create an album to be proud of. Responsible for this largely are the vocal duo of Shane Carroll on unclean vocals and Michael Buckley on clean vocals. Every vocal line has been thoroughly thought out and employ their christian lyrics. They seamlessly intertwine melody and technical brutality, with heartfelt, honest lyrics concerning faith, inner demons and everything in between. The band's dedication to its lyrics and beliefs can clearly be heard throughout the album, as shown from the start with the opener "Remove The Pulse". There is significant variety in Shane's vocals as he keeps it interesting by using his range in many songs to create an enthralling and emotive experience. Michael (who uncommonly also plays drums) is used very effectively and usually sings the choruses, but also has his moments in their softer songs such as "Stitched The Same" and "Awaken The Heart".
The guitar work is no slouch either. "Break of Dawn" for example begins with a crushing riff sure to get any metal fan excited, and "Unharness" similarly features some impressive guitar work with what could be described as bouncy-like riffs. However, it is the gorgeous guitar melodies that appear frequently in choruses and sprinkled throughout the album which really set them above many of their peers. Although the praise for this album is endless, there are occasions where they opt for more generic metalcore breakdown riffs in sacrifice of replacing it with something more enticing. An example of this would be throughout a large portion of "White Flame" which is very chuggy, but despite this, the song still remaining enjoyable. Also, the vocals of Michael are very high pitched and may not be to everyone's liking.
The bottom line is, if metalcore (particularly melodic metalcore) appeals to you, then this is an album that must be checked out. The band have a clear vision and are honing their craft nicely. "Metanoia" is an album which encompasses aggression and melody so seamlessly to create a result any veterans would be envious of. Accordingly, the band's competence cannot be denied. They are most definitely on their way, and the only way is up. The glorious sunrise is upon us and it is glowing brightly in our eyes.
