Review Summary: Past and present meets to form a pretty good record.
Melodic Hardcore is a genre interspersed with bright shining gems that are overshadowed by the massive amounts of repetitive song structures. Whilst not quite classifying as one of the greats in this regard, Miles Away do still manage to be a strong act with a powerful fourth release. Endless Roads is a record which benefits from the overbearing atmosphere. What we, the listeners are presented with is a record which, inconsistent as it is, shows the bands frustration, anger and angst, without devolving it to a stage where it feels like the complaints of a teenager in their bedroom.
On a whole, the record bears resemblance to modern hardcore groups such as Defeater, while also showing the bands evident love for early hardcore bands such as Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags. When in the midst of tracks like
Rain Eyes and
Ghostwriter, we see glimpses of a band that has potential when they stick to their guns. Whether it is through the strong pace, and the slightly cliché lyrics, the fact remains that; this band does have the ability to excel and produce a vibrant piece of music. By keeping the pace brisk, the band has managed to utilise and exploit their shortcomings. Even the transitions between songs is enough to pull you back in, with the extremely brief
Skeleton Key which explosively leads into
Unsaid, reigning back in any waning interest that the listener may be beginning to feel.
This pacing is one of the key thing that makes this album such a coherent piece and considering the background of this band, from their hometown of Perth, Australia; it is an impressive feat they have manufactured such a solid album, not marred by the mistakes of many bands in the national scene. Breakdowns, when present, are succinct, vocals avoid the typical favoured style and we are left with an album with the appeal for being listened to, again and again. Even down to the tones, we are shown thick bass notes and raw, tinny guitar tones that almost bring to mind images of hardcore bands past. With more effort on livening up lacklustre aspects of the record, it is possible that Miles Away will have an extremely memorable album in the near future.
