Review Summary: Here's a beer and a knife.
Oregon’s Critic, The Cannibal (Taylor Bates) remembers Fear Before the March of Flames circa 2005, when the duo of Fisher and Marion were hauntingly trading lines over experimental compositions and angular guitar licks before electronics became a mainstay of the band’s sound. Being a one-man project, Critic, The Cannibal can’t (and shouldn’t) replicate Fear Before’s sound exactly, but the influence is clearly heard within
SPEAKS melodies and riffs. Given the inherently unique sound Fear Before presented, it’s interesting to hear a record influenced by such a flavor. It’s easy to develop a subconscious ulterior motive when listening to albums that wear its influences on its sleeve in such a way to see how close it can replicate object of its affection. However,
SPEAKS isn’t trying to replicate a sound but supplement one with a catchy concoction of hardcore and southern rock stylings. And despite the occasional foray into the derivative, the concoction is a potent one.
One noticeable quirk with
Speaks is the low mix of the bass. While traditionally seen in a derogatory light, the decision allows the dirty guitar riffs to shine while avoiding the sterile sound a perfect balanced mix likely would have caused. These dirty riffs are indicative of a record intent on rocking, an easily appreciable mindset for any album. The opener “Leave No Witnesses” drips with a southern twang that, like the rest of the record, never completely takes over the song but never completely falls away either. While not especially technical,
SPEAKS boasts some of the catchiest riffs heard yet this year. “iSoulated” feels especially bleak compared to the rest of
SPEAKS by way of a tad more dissonant fuzz surrounding the crunchy guitars while Bates roars about the pain of loneliness. In addition to “iSoulated” Bates channels a surprisingly varied set of moods solely through his songwriting prowess. There’s a degree of homogeneity that’s to be expected from a one-man project but
SPEAKS tears through your ears with such a savage energy any similarities along the way are a fleeting annoyance.
The Fear Before influence manifests itself in powerful ways throughout
SPEAKS’ runtime. Ghostly croons bring a chilling element to “Shallow Waters” while chunky, industrialized riffs a la
Art Damage highlight the outro to “Doubtfull.” Combine these parts with Bates’ layering of his own vocals and the term “spiritual successor” starts coming to mind. Bates puts his vocal chords through some gymnastics in
SPEAKS, and retains an impressive degree of power throughout, never devolving into lazily slurring his words to get that low growl nor slipping into screeching in his high screams. But as mentioned before,
Speaks isn’t a copycat record. At its center it’s a dusty hardcore record played by someone who seemingly enjoys to bang on his guitar. It can’t be overstated the vitality present in these songs and in no small part due to the inventiveness of the guitar play,
SPEAKS is easily capable of ripping your heart out with one hand and high fiving you with the other.
