|
| |
|
|
|
Review Summary: Holy... Being one of the most consistent bands in the post-hardcore scene, Senses Fail are no strangers to aggression and personal song writing, building their ever-growing discography around this. 2013’s ‘Renacer’ showed that Senses Fail still had it, mixing anger and sorrow into its 42-minute runtime. So as Senses Fail releases its 6th LP ‘Pull the Thorns from Your Heart’, do they have what it takes to keep up with their progression, or will they fade into obscurity?
As lead vocalist James ‘Buddy’ Nielsen has grown, so too has his vocal delivery. At times subdued in ‘Renacer’ on songs such as ‘Between the Mountains and The Sea’, ‘Pull the Thorns from Your Heart’ packs a punch through its intensity and grit. The wear present in his harsh vocals add a layer of reality to the album, and pushes the vocals to new kinds of ruthless. Opener ‘The Three Marks of Existence’, and possibly one of the heaviest songs Senses have ever created ‘Dying Words’, showcases this well, presenting an album full of fast-paced riffs and muddy guitar and bass work. Add a sprinkle of solid and inventive drum work, and you have an album filled to the brim with catchy and engaging tracks. Even ‘slower’ songs such as ‘Wounds’ and ‘My Fear of an Unlived Life’ are filled with emotion and consistency in songwriting, and don’t feel tacked on or out of place.
Continuing on from the constant mention of songwriting, James has never strayed away from the hard-hitting topics, including that of love, loss, sexual identity and more. ‘The Importance of The Moment of Death’ conveys this well, as shown in the opening verse. “I was so tired of listening to the chorus in my head/Telling myself I wasn’t good enough to be happy or proud or loving to myself”. James is sick of it, and it shows, at times seeming as if he struggles to deliver the lyrics. Furthermore, ‘Wounds’ adds to the reality of Buddy’s lyrics. The lines “Depression, anxiety and shame, they almost killed me/Obsession, addiction and pain, they almost killed me” are personal and meaningful, and the sincerity of it is at times painful to think about.
From start to finish, ‘Pull the Thorns from Your Heart’ is a testament to the holding power of Senses Fail. A progression in all aspects when compared to ‘Renacer’, Buddy and friends have created a work of art filled with meaningful lyricism, chunky guitar and bass, and imaginative drum performances, and have finally reached their creative peak. And with a potential end in sight, what a way to go out.
| other reviews of this album |
|
Album Rating: 5.0
Holy shit this album. It's possibly one of the most engaging and interesting albums I have ever listened to, and I was gripped from start to finish. It's brilliant in every aspect.
Creative criticism is much appreciated. I know I can improve.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Yeah, I felt like I was focusing on the lyricism too much, but it is quite a huge aspect of the album.
I thought the conclusion was alright. I might change it.
EDIT: Re-wrote the conclusion. Hopefully this one reads a little better.
| | |
I'd change it to
>"With a possible end in sight, what a way to go out."
The theoretical end was established already, I don't feel that you would need to re-clarify. It sounds much better that way imo.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
you should read this out loud to your self, its pretty clunky. Especially your last sentence you use the word possible twice.
also like throwaway said too much of the review is about the vocalist or what he's talking about. also you may wanna look into italicizing some parts of the review to make some parts pop, maybe the lyrics or the song titles or the album titles.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
if only the first half of the album was as good as the second half i'd rate this higher
| | |
The last paragraph it says pick the thorns when I most certainly believe you meant to say pull, buddy.
Last album I heard from SF was still searching but I'm down to skip a few albums to give this a listen.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Don't skip Renacer! At the very least listen to "Between the Mountains and the Sea" from it. I personally think it's their best song
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Enjoyed every single moment of this.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Pretty damn good, really digging "Take Refuge"
| | | Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off
closing track is SO good
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Alright, appreciate the feedback. I did focus on the lyrics a little too much I suppose, but again I think it's such a huge aspect.
I'm starting to write again but I'm trying to get a more personal tone. Obviously that isn't present here but I'm probably going to write a review for 'No Place' eventually to trial the personal writing. Any suggestions on how to get that personal feel?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Take Refuse is the worst song on here. I love the rest
| | |
God, the production is SO bad.
| | |
Saw the 5-star review and the cover art reminiscent of Skyharbor's Guiding Lights and came here expecting music. All I got was CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA [SNARE, SNARE, SNARE, SNARE] "RUH! RUG! RAH! GARBLE-DUMORPHOGIS-USPLEXIUM RAUGH!" CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUG [SNARE, SNARE, SNARE, SNARE]. Even worse, the album was clearly mixed and mastered in Satan's rectum.
Obviously I'm not a genre fan but this is never going to make a convert of me if it's top-of-the-scene material. I guess I'm just not XxXHxXxCXxX enough or something. :/
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Jeeze, your comment is cancer ^
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
The production is bad? I love the production on this.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
Prefer Renancer to this. Probably my least favorite LP by them tbh. A new Bayonet album would be nice though.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Will jam this tonight.
| | |
"The production is bad? I love the production on this."
The drums sound like cardboard and everything is muddied. Such a shame, because these are some great songs.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Ok wait, does the first track sound like its very Converge influenced or is that just me...?
This rules so fucking hard though.
| | | |
|
| |
