First of all this my first review so please dont be too judgemental.
Halfway home are from the infamous Orange County. Theyre first album ('lets start this over') was released on the same record label as story of the year. In 2002 they appeared on the warped tour for 2 weeks. They kept touring sharing the stage with bands such as Finch and Sugarcult. One of their friends started a record label called 'the Death scene' in 2004 Halfway home began making theyre full-length album 'a brand new subdivision' and released it on july 13th 2004 then continued touring again.
I first picked up this album because it said 'for fans of Taking Back Sunday.' Although when i listened to it it sounded nothing like them i started to like it and then love it. Now here i am writing a review of it...... anyway here we go.
For tommorow we die - 4:18 - Starting off with a piano riff you get the wrong impression but after a couple of seconds you will figure out that this album is about. A basic guitar riff opens the song then finally the lyrics start. IF you listen carefully there is a palm-muted guitar riff that goes throughout the song which sounds out of place but effective. With a medium tempo for the duration of this song it is a great start to a great album. One major annoying point about this song is the link to the next one. 4.2/5
Four months until the swarm - 3:25 - You enter straight into the lyrics in this one, after listening to the half-a-miniute link you thank god for it. With a complicated drum riff during the first verse it makes the song more complex than the last. It breaks down entering the chorus and gets quieter. Halfway through the bridge a voie says "and lived to see another day" and im almost positive that it is Mark Hoppus from blink 182. Ive listened to this song over and over again and i cant make sense of the words its starting to annoy me. Anyway, after the second chorus it stops into a weird sound with the guitar the with full power th lyrics come back in again and after another verse and chorus it ends. 4/5
Contract with a ghost - 4:32 - this is the longest song on the album and my 2nd favourite song . With a quiet intro with an instrument that i dont now what it is. The guitar drums and bass come in in full effect. It quiets down in the verse with an awesome backing voice. i think the thing that draws me to this song is the lyrics. The chorus is pretty mediocre. It quiets down once again three-quarters through the song with an amzing guitar riff in the background. For one last time the chorus comes in for some reason it sounds heavier than before but its atually the exact same. It has a high adrenaline ending which makes you want to hear the next song. Almost perfection. 4.8/5
Architect of my demise - 3:40 - It starts of with a solid acoustic guitar riff then the electric guitar introduces it to the drums and bass. With the snare going at every beat this is a high(ish) paced song. With a basic guitar riff and basic drum pattern throughout this song is dissappointing after hearing Contract with a ghost. The only bit i like in this song is when the singers voice goes lower and the accoustic guitar kick in again. Need i say more? 2.8/5
Asscension to clarity - 4:06 - first of all you have to listen to this song loudly. Kicking in witb the Full effect of everyhing, this song promises to please. The chorus is slower than the verse but still loud. There is only one word to describe this song....... AMAZING!!!!. 5/5
A pilot and a bleeding heart - 3:22 - This starts with a catchy guitar riff then a second guitar kick in with a palm-muted distorsion, this sounds the most proffesional song on the album. the thing i dont like is that you cannot hear the bass on this song that well. This song is one that everyone will like. Even though i dont......all my friends do. 3.1/5
Sorry if the soongs are losing detail but im not meaning it
Open the sky - 3:32 - At the start of this song you can hear the bass clearly as it is the only thing playing excluding the drums. Which is good. The guitar is linked poorly to the intro in this song with a simple tom 1, tom 2 fill. The bridge is also quite poor but it is made up with the chorus which is the best point in the song. In this song they have tried too hard but it is still a good attempt. You will hate it at first but begin to appreciate it. Also it is as if they have tried to add the words 'open the sky' in at any random point. 3.6/5
The truth can be a brutal buisness - 2:51 - Even though this is the shortest song on the album it has a familiar sound about it. The beggining has a very distinctive sound about it which wouldnt of worked in any other song apart from this one.it sounds of a mix between alexisonfire and T.B.S. Because it is that short i cant relly comment on anything but how good it is, well here we go....... it is good. 4.7/5
On the passing of fairytale heroes - 3:20 - This is my favourite song because......well i dont really know. The verse is very mediocore but the chorus is utter brilliance ( i hope thats a word ). And it has a brilliant name, so subtle, but effective. I also love songs that have one quiet line in the chorus then the rest is loud. Like this one. 5/5
Ignited eyes and cyanide - 3:35 - The last 2 songs sound like space fillers. With quite a heavy intro it becomes quickly a fast paced song. Without a doubt this has the best guitar riffs on the Album, although the words suck everything is good. It deserves a solid 4.1/5
And the moment passes by - As the last song on the album it has a well suited name. Everything is basic on this song. And to be honest with you it seems to poppy to deserve a place on this masterpiece.
BEST TRACKS:
Ascension to clarity
The truth can be a brutal buisness
On the passing of fairytale heroes
For fans of:
Taking back Sunday (obviously)
There you go, my first review, hope you enjoyed it.
