Review Summary: Drugs were made for an addict like me
Escape the Fate has consistently been the centerpiece for a cavalcade of drama for several years; from Ronnie Radke being thrown in jail, to constant feuding between his follow-up band "Falling in Reverse", it seemed as though this band is in headlines for all the wrong reasons. So when Escape the Fate decided to throw all cards on the table in their self-titled epic, people weren't receptive of it in the slightest; mostly deriding their negative views from Radke’s departure. Below the melodrama of the album’s history lies a much deeper record; an album that tackles a multitude of concepts and shoots for a much grander scale with flying success and only a few missteps along the way. Escape the Fate's third album is a powerful reinvention of the band's sound and a far more personal experience without sacrificing any of the bombastic fun of their previous efforts.
Craig Mabbit remains a powerful vocalist in all regards, having a surprisingly wide range in both his clean and unclean styles. More often than not, he chooses to stay in his stronger mid-low register which makes for an overall heavy and more consistent experience, especially in unclean dominated tracks such as "The Aftermath G3." When he does decide to break into his higher register he almost morphs his voice into a shriek that adds an almost menacing atmosphere to the whatever track they happen to appear on, notably in "Prepare Your Weapon" which has one of the best build ups on the album due to the fierce drum pattern which leads into the well placed scream after the initial climb. His clean work is better adapted for his mid-range, and most of the songs capitalize on that; however, if need be he can hit higher and lower notes with ease and elevate the song to a new level. These vocal strengths across the board prove Mabbit is more than capable of commanding a powerful melody, such as in the pounding chants of "I just want to make it through this life" from album highlight "World Around Me" before the second guitar solo. Having a large range can at times be a detriment though, as odd vocal lines placed throughout a few songs feel slightly out of place in regards to that they should have been sung in a higher or lower tone respectively. Usually it’s not enough to detract from the overall experience however.
The lyricism is one of the most divisive aspects of the album, with a lot of people making claims on how it's insubstantial and frivolous. Others claim it's just Craig's writing style that makes the songs seem that way. His straight to the point style actually benefits the lyrical content here, allowing certain songs to be open to interpretation, while still propagating a very clear message. The song topics are decidedly darker than the band’s previous works and the meanings of the songs often get lost due to the majority of the band's fan base being a considerably young age. "Lost in Darkness" is written from a third person perspective about the vocalist's friend being raped at gunpoint, while "Gorgeous Nightmare" is about a rendezvous with a deadly woman who represents the seven deadly sins. Other songs are callbacks to the band's previous works; with the lyricism in "The Aftermath G3" being the continuation of the series of songs that has been ongoing since the band's debut effort. Many songs are also introspective and deal with the singer's personal struggles in life with drug abuse, coming to terms with one’s existence and other woes. While the writing as a whole has improved as a whole, some of the immaturity from previous efforts has made its way into the mix; tracks like “City of Sin” while still having some quotable lines, fall into the trap of throwing random party nonsense into the mix.
The instrumentals have taken a more "epic" approach; citing this album's biggest influence as Queen, the band pulled no stops in experimenting with various tools and ideas in their music and as such every song is fresh, interesting and addictive in its own way. As a result, the metalcore which dominated their last two efforts takes a step back here. Subtle synth work accompanies the guitar on a number of songs, especially in "Lost in Darkness" where the buzzing electronics push the haunting, sedated riff-work to the forefront establishing an eerie sense of dread. The keyboard comes into full stardom during the previously mentioned "World Around Me", in which Craig's vocals soar over whizzing strings, piano and a solid drum backing. Strings are another inclusion to this album that the previous album lacked and while they aren't plentiful, they are used just enough to feel tasteful and well placed. The production is what helps this particular instrumental blend be so infectious; the mix allows everything to come together as a cohesive unit without one part being too distracting, at the same time, everything has impact and carries its own weight.
The guitarists continue to show they know how to write interesting, melodic passages that bring each of the songs their own identity; whether it be through intricately crafted solos such as on "The Aftermath G3" or "World Around Me" or through uplifting riff-filled portions of songs such as "Prepare the Weapon" and "Day of Wreckoning." The bassist is no slouch either, as he shows his chops on the groove dominated bass lines in "Massacre" among numerous other songs. The drum work lays a solid foundation for every song on the album and through a combination of speed, hefty double bass work and interesting fills helps to further craft each song's identity. More often than not, his rhythms also can define the entire tone of a song; such as in more pop influenced tracks "Zombie Dance", “City of Sin” and "Issues", which have a far more dance-like feel to them than any of the other tracks on here with bouncy instrumentals and slightly more uplifting lyrical content.
Escape the Fate have been through a lot throughout the years and have still managed to remain strong as a band. However, as their future music attempts take a more accessible approach, their self-titled will most likely remain their best album and most experimental album in their ever-growing discography over the years.
