Review Summary: Mediocre debut album; overproduced vocals, generic lyrics, decent instrumentation, predictable synths...
Dead by April are pretty new to the Gotheburg Metal scene, having been formed in 2007. But there is one thing wrong with that statement, Dead by April are in no way metal. To better describe them, they are basically a band relying on screams to appear "metal". Everything about this album will lead to one point; a pop album, with a few screams appearing sparsely here and there, for its obvious good.
The album begins with Trapped, a good track in all honesty, the track blares with heavy synths, and a few breakdowns here and there. One of the rare all-clean vocal songs. Angels of Clarity then takes the lead, and we are now brought to a whole different style, a metalcore track so to speak, but instead of relying on the guitars to create a melody, the synths take place. Definitely one of the catchiest choruses you'll hear on this album.
And I could go on and on about this album, but I guess I'll just point out the obvious; this is a mediocre album. The clean vocals sound really overproduced, but are at least enjoyable. The screams help the songs become a tidbit more interesting, and to be honest are used to their full potential. Look at the song Losing You, it is no way spectacular, but the screams bring a new "layer" to the song so to speak. The synths are probably the highlight of this album, creating interesting melodies in every single song. The guitars are always in the background, playing a one-chord riff most of the time, but in Stronger, on of the heavier songs, a surprising, yet appreciated solo appears. The bass is barely audible, and the drums are plain, but in songs like Erased, the drums take an interesting turn. The lyrics are painfully generic, concerning relationships most of the time. And the ballads(Promise Me, Sorry For Everything) are just horrible.
Judging this whole album as a whole would be pretty much wrong. For example, Promise Me is a bad song, but you will also have a song like Falling Behind which is a generic, yet catchy song. The acoustics used in the verse are a good attempt at being more diverse. A Promise plays itself as the best song on the album, with well placed screams, and an excellent chorus. I Made It is an excellent choice as an ending track, given its theme, and sound.
I want to rate this album higher, but I cannot ignore its flaws. It is catchy, yet generic. The vocals are good, yet overproduced. The synths are excellent, yet giving no space for the guitars.
If you are looking for a fun and catchy record, this might just be the album for you. If you are expecting this to be a metal album, well, guess what, you were just April fooled by their Myspace.
