Review Summary: Great with the old, average with the new
Our favorite Christ loving, blast beat fueled metalcore friends have released a new album in their regular once-every-two-years schedule!
Being their sixth (not counting the live Home and Holiday Album) this album stirred an immense feeling of expectation and fearfulness. That’s because every release since fantastic Messengers stayed on roughly the same path. Never leaving their safe zone, trying to spice or tighten thing up by adding new instruments, polishing production to near perfection, but barely trying to avoid staleness, riding forth on memorable melodies and riffs.
It’s like making love with a beautiful woman but always in the same room, the same position and at the same time of day. No doubt pleasurable but in terms of excitement - it can only take you so far to make it like the first time.
Some of their best songs have been categorized as hymns of redemption, personal growth, conquering obstacles with faith alone. Childfully honest and optimistic but realistic about harsh realities of a believer that sometime doubts his own conviction.
Whistling worthy melodies and fine balance of intensity and accessibility made them an phenomenon and a benchmark of modern metalcore excellence. And yet, this consistency have become their main stepping stone. No matter how superb material you are making is, formula needs to be changed if you are going to present it over and over. If it isn't you are recycling.
I’m sorry to say that their main efforts, even though obviously present have not been as fruitful one might expect. I was overjoyed listening to Majoring in the Minors for the first time, hearing a country, western like tune with mexican overtones, smiling and thinking they have finally nailed it, just to find that was not a part of concept, but sort of interlude.
Not incorporated thoughtfully to freshen up (or even innovate) masterfully executed, but overly familiar structure.
Similar excursions into experimentation can be found in songs like Identity, Everlasting Ending etc. Just...the flow is simply not there.
Most songs work like this: they throw in fun and original passages using acoustic instruments that immensely distinct songs only to continue same ‘ol technical-yet-melodic-metalcore completely forgetting acoustics were a part of the song. It makes me angry because if those parts were the rule and not an exception this would be THE breakthrough they have been looking for.
Same goes for lyrics that though uplifting, empowering and existential have been reused and rearranged to death falling into category of fanfare.
Variations of existential advice like “Stop living in denial. Stop loving the lie” and sermons as “Wake up Save yourself Pick up the pieces Ask for forgiveness” started sounding cheesy few albums ago. Oversimplified chants upon chants of babbling about how we should repent are overly direct (you need a degree of abstraction to touch more different souls) and lack any philosophical or deeper religious contemplative value.
It’s as they have lowered their target audience age, said what they could and are presenting the same values but without any intrigue at all.
All is not so grim because potential to improve is executed exceptionally on Broken Promises and Vanguard, the longest tracks clocking at 6:12 and 5:40 mark. Technical as ever, incorporating faster and slower passages that flow onto another, masterfully crafted in the highlights of the album. Proud sounding riffs meet head banging breakdown material, smooth solos and take enough time to build up tension to a fantastic closure. And without any acusticio-instrumentalis extravaganza. It saddens me I’m talking about a single track and not the whole album.
Being satisfied with more of the same is not something I'll allow August, simply because their previous works were executed superbly. They can do better. I’m not giving up on August. I just hope they are not too.
P.S. official steam is up so I'm reposting my rushed review.
Cheers!
