Tragic Hero records have produced another metalcore band that exhibits characteristics of many other bands. The vocals are comparable to Legend, the bass sounds like The Plot in You and the rest is comparable to For the Fallen Dreams. With that said, Delusions meshes these sounds to create an album that is enjoyable for the metalcore scene. Heavy breakdowns, great harsh vocals and melodic guitar riffs make this a fun listen.
One reason this is enjoyable is the guitar work found throughout. On this album the guitars sound extremely similar to For the Fallen Dreams. This however, does not mean that this band has plagiarized anything but the sound is impeccable similar. The harmony and melody of the guitars prove to be a great addition to this album. These sounds bring me back to the days of Changes, (For the Fallen Dreams, 2008) when the song writing was so simple but it was creative and sounded great. What makes this special is their ability to blend this array of harmony with the overall song structure. This provides a smooth transition throughout the songs.
The vocal work is a strange mix on this album. The harsh vocals are very forceful and do not lack energy in any way. In fact, the harsh vocals are a distinct highlight on this album. If any improvement could be made it would be a variation in the tone of the vocals. One aspect that could be vastly improved which is the cleans. The clean vocals on this album are not used properly and therefore, hold this album back from this having a unique sound. Instead of there being vocals that add depth to the song; the cleans are used as filler material. This distracts from the overall feeling of this album portraying a young and generic band. This comes with an exception. The album named track “The Language Barrier” opens with a mix of harsh and clean vocals reaching an exceptional harmony.
Another strong point of this album is the drums. The drums provide the same structure that they would in any other song but it’s different. Usually drummers tend to stay within the realm of playing it safe (through my experience) and do not stray far from the usual path. Risks are taken in the drumming sections that allow for a free-flow that is nice to listen to. The rhythm is exceptional and makes these tracks easy to "bob" one’s head to.
Very prominent in this work is the use of breakdowns. One grievance I have with the bass is that it is rarely heard outside of the “chug- chug” on this album. The breakdowns are placed decently and more often than not have a nice build up. This draws the progression of the songs toward the heavy breakdowns. Some may say these are over used but I feel that they are well placed. It is noteworthy the way that the breakdowns add a different feel to each song. Some slow down the progress of the song while other keep the pace flowing well.
This may be labeled as “generic” but this album provides a fun listen for those who enjoy any of the bands that they sound like (For the Fallen Dreams, The Plot in You, Legend). Overall, there are many improvements that could be made to make this a prominent and yet talented band.
Pros:
Great harsh vocals
•Drumming
•The melody and harmony of the guitars
Cons:
•The tracks tends to run together
•The clean vocals
•Some breakdowns can be repetitive
Recommended tracks:
“Kingsland”
“Family Matters”
“The Language Barrier”
“Right from Wrong”
