Review Summary: Bullet For My Valentine V.2
Originality. A difficult thing within the music realm to comprehend, it becomes an entirely different matter when you try and attempt to create a piece of originality for it is not easily achieved. Luckily for Glamour of The Kill this isn't a problem, as they do not even try striving for any semblance of originality (much like this introduction). Glamour of The Kill are a four-piece UK band from the city of York, they have managed to gain a massive fanbase over the course of three years while having only released two EP's (much like another similarly sounding UK band...) and their popularity is surely to grow with the release of their debut album, The Summoning.
It is pretty clear from the first moments of the opening track; If Only She Knew, that inevitable comparisons to Bullet for My Valentine are going to be made, and these accusations would not entirely unjust as their sound is basically culmination of prior said band mixed with the more melodic leanings of A Day to Remember. The opening track displays exactly what to expect from this album as the variety of this record is extremely limited.
The guitaring on this album is what is to be expected within the metalcore genre, rarely showing any attempts at experimentation or originality, they mostly utilise a variety of generic metalcore riffs that wouldn't sound out of place on a Bullet for my Valentine or Avenged Sevenfold album mixed with several breakdowns. This is another element which unfortunately flaws the album considerably, while a small minority of these breakdowns contribute towards the song and are relatively enjoyable (If Only She Knew, Supremacy) most seemed place at random intervals and ruin the pace of the song, their purpose seemingly only to be enjoyed at a gig to give the audience something to mosh to. They also utilise acoustic guitars in two songs (Lost Souls and The Summoning) in an attempt to add more variety, however Lost Souls is too short to have any real impact upon the listener and ends up becoming useless filler while its use in The Summoning comes across as cliche and uninteresting and contributes nothing towards the track. However the guitarists one saving grace are their solo's, while not entirely original they serve their purpose and add some spice to the tracks they're played in such as in Supremacy, which helps lead to one of the more uplifting moments on the album and Feeling Alive.
The vocals are one of the more enjoyable aspects of the album, the majority of them being handled by the bass guitarist who rarely leaves his comfort zone and instead sticks an to acapella-ranged clean voice while occasionally employing an James Hetfield-esque snarl, nothing to ground-breaking but they serve their purpose and help reinforce the melody in many of the songs (If Only She Knew, Feeling Alive, Here Behind These Walls). However he has an unfortunate tedency to become whiney and irritating. The other vocal style applied is the harsh mid-range screaming which is handled by the two guitarists and mostly features in World's End and Supremacy. However they won't stand out from any other vocalists in the scene due to the fact that there is no originality (that word again, this band lacks it).
The drumming is by-far the most uninteresting aspect of this entire album, sticking mostly to simple beats while employing the occasional fill to stop the beat from becoming too stale, he shows no willingness for experimentation and serves no purpose but to keep a steady rthymn. To be expected with an album of the metalcore genre the bass guitar is completely inaudible and who's only contribution is to add a slight low-end to the many breakdowns throughout this record.
Therefore while the album may be enjoyable to those who are big fans of bands such as Bullet for My Valentine or Avenged Sevenfold, the majority will be shaking their heads at the rise of yet another popular generic Metalcore band and while the catchiness may provide a slightly enjoyable listening experience, its novelty soon wears off and it becomes yet another stale album of the plagued genre. It's always good to listen to when downloading something better.
I suggest you pass on this.
Recommended tracks -
If Only She Knew
Feeling Alive
Supremacy
World's End
