Review Summary: You wont get by alone.
I The Mighty burst onto the scene early last year with their second ep Karma Never Sleeps. Although this ep had one of the more cringe inducing titles in recent memory, the quality of the six songs presented were arguably six of the best songs to be released that year. Here was a band sans any legitimate releases, producing one of the best eps of 2012. So with expectations higher than the band could have ever imagined, I The Mighty entered the studio to craft their debut full length release, seemingly with a spiteful ending to a relationship hanging over the head of lead vocalist Brent Walsh. This anger and frustration rears its head on nearly every single track, as
Satori surpasses all expectations forced upon this young band, culminating in one of the best releases yet to be heard this year.
“Speak To Me” first greets listeners; a track that is heavy and gentle, huge and diminutive all at the same time, creating one of the more aggressive and overall better tracks on
Satori. Harsh vocals find themselves playing a larger role than in past releases, as tracks such as previously mentioned “Speak To Me” and “Some Say It’s Your Loss” prominently display this quasi-new outlet of frustration. Through this proliferation of harsh vocals and anger, a theme is made apparent: Walsh is one pissed off young man. Whether it be at a despondently failed relationship (nearly every track), or at the incompetent society he finds himself forced to exist with (“The Quick Fix”), Walsh seems to have had a sudden enlightenment on his current surroundings and relationships.
Satori progresses in this heated manner without pause with “Failures” and “Some Say It’s Your Loss”, displaying an uncharacteristically mature I The Mighty putting everything they have into a record they understood to be a
make or break album in their still developing career.
As to be expected, the comforting yet driving vocals of Walsh are present in full, but the rest of the band lives up to their lofty expectations consistently through these 13 tracks. Drummer Blake Dahlinger is as on point as could possibly be imagined, crafting complicated drum patterns and placing immaculate fills at the perfect moment track in and track out. Guitarists Ian Pedigo and Walsh keep listeners guessing with intricate leads and driving choruses. While virtually every song is rigidly structured, every song will keep listeners guessing with innumerable quirks and minutiae sprinkled in without restraint.
With such an explosive beginning, Satori inevitably drags on in places in the middle of the record. But as this is to be expected from a debut full length, I The Mighty seems to have the presence of mind to pick the record back up during its tedious valleys, nowhere more evident than the transition between “Occupatience” and “A Spoonful of Shallow Makes Your Head an Empty Space”, the former, while being a valiant attempt at a change of pace, falls nearly flat upon its own face. “A Spoonful of Shallow Makes Your Head an Empty Space” picks up the pace of the record again after a deluge of mediocre tracks, boasting some of Walsh’s most ambitious vocals. Likewise, album closer “The Quick Fix” features motivated vocals coupled with a biting message to just about anyone who will listen to this record.
Containing subtle (and so subtle) throwbacks to their previous ep, it is apparent that I The Mighty has hit upon a style that is entirely becoming of their talent level. The entirety of these 13 tracks are devoid of any sort of technicality or novel concepts, but what Satori lacks in technical prowess, it makes up for in pure passion and honesty. Save a few tracks in the middle of the record that linger longer than they should, I The Mighty have created an impeccable album, an album that will undoubtedly propel this young band to bigger and better things.
