Album Rating: 4.0

Never been much into this band, but this was a really pleasant listen. Not a big fan of the last track but everything else on here is solid.

Album Rating: 3.5

Ya'll are sleeping on the last track!

Album Rating: 5.0

Yeah i like it

Album Rating: 4.5

The last track reminds me of something from another band but I havnt been able to place my finger on it just yet.



In other news that most will hate, the chorus of tethered together was reminding me of something and I figured it out: falling in reverse - chemical prisoner. Not spot on but the ‘TOGETHER’ note hits about the same

Album Rating: 4.0

@Feather - It's very Dear Hunter-like to me

Album Rating: 4.5

I can see that. It’s kinda panic at the disco-y to me too. That theatrical sound is in the dear hunter too

Album Rating: 4.0

The chorus of the t.t is peak

Nice to be jumping back into this band. Band is always super fun and enjoyable

Album Rating: 3.5

It's a really fun album

Album Rating: 5.0

Afraid and together are simply the two highlights of the album. Unbelievable high from those choruses.

Album Rating: 4.5

Fantastic album.

Album Rating: 4.5

@storm I assume you mean the flood and tethered together, I agree those choruses are insane highs.



Super nitpicky but there are certain moments they should have had the lead guitar higher in the mix. Examples 2:14 in goodbye sunshine and 2:49 in father of make believe. Would have elevated those tracks even more.

maybe I just don't like this band. so much of this just mushed together. second stage just blows everything else they've done out of the water. why am I doing a navy metaphor. merh.

Album Rating: 3.0

I dont get the hype of this album at all. It is surely a return to form, but damn the production is so lifeless and fucking bad

Album Rating: 4.5

Catching up on the discussion from the last few pages: Vaxis I is great, but it feels like a retread of their first four, but in an autopilot-type way, not in a "cumulative greatest hits of everything we're good at" type of way. Each song, when listened to individually, is good to great, aside from maybe 2-3 (title track, True Ugly, and Lucky Stars still don't do it for me all these years later), but they all plod along at the same pace with extremely similar structures (The Dark Sentencer and Black Sunday buck that trend, and the latter is one of the most underrated songs in their discog IMO) and they all last about a minute too long. Part of that is, to me, that they don't know when to add a post chorus to every chorus or only at the height of the song to create the most impact. My example here is Love Protocol. The part at the end of chorus (I'm alone, watch me float as I fall) should've been saved for the chorus before the bridge, and MAYBE again during the las chorus, but it loses emotional impact by being repeated so much. They fixed this on later albums, for example Love Murder One's first chorus is straightforward then they extend it the second time, and the same thing happens in Mr. Nobody on this new one, and I'm sure there are other examples.



So that brings me to the next thing: I don't really like how Zakk Cervini albums SOUND, it's overprocessed and the drums sound distorted, but I do think him and Claudio work well when it comes to crafting these songs, and trimming the fat to get the best version of the song in the smallest time possible. Listen to the demo of Beautiful Losers and the studio version and you can see the impact Zakk makes. Whether it's a net positive or negative is probably a personal preference for most.

Album Rating: 4.0

god this is so much more fun than anything they’ve released in like a decade. i’m so gd happy

Album Rating: 4.5

The Continuum II: The Flood

1:21

The way Claudio sings here....and only here...and just for a moment..CLAUDIO MY MAN. The quality of his voice was never in question, but this tone is so endearing and earnest and bittersweet. I need more of that. I could do with less falsettos and more of that.



Also, this track is just amazing

Album Rating: 4.0

"The Continuum II: The Flood

1:21

The way Claudio sings here....and only here...and just for a moment..CLAUDIO MY MAN. The quality of his voice was never in question, but this tone is so endearing and earnest and bittersweet. I need more of that. I could do with less falsettos and more of that."



I hear it. I didn't until you pointed it out, but that is indeed a nice fleeting moment.

That moment from 4:11-4:42 is the one that gets me, and I wish it continued to build into something more.

Album Rating: 4.5

yesss that's my other favorite moment, I want them to ride those dreamy mellow cathartic vibes for longer

Album Rating: 4.5

@Gyro and Nomos 4:11 - 5:05 is certainly a top album moment... The melody from the horns that begins at 4:58 sounds so familiar is it from another song (either a chorus or another piece)? It has driven me a bit crazy recently.