Review Summary: A somewhat promising debut, but it’s nothing you haven’t heard done several times by other metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage.
By now I’m betting everyone listening to and buying new music has heard the melodic metalcore formula done several times. Following the decline of Linkin Park ruled nu-metal in the beginning of this decade, it seemed that metalcore bands suddenly came out of nowhere to dominate what was dubbed the “new wave of American heavy metal”.
A major trend in this particular genre is having the intro and verse of consist of heavy music backing screamed vocals. A cleanly sung chorus will follow it, with the instruments being noticeably softer and more streamlined than before. Killswitch Engage was one of the first to do this, or at least one of the first such bands to become popular. Their sophomore album
Alive or Just Breathing garnered a relative amount of success in 2002, with follow ups
The End of Heartache and
As Daylight Dies each selling more than 100,000 copies each. Heck, they’ve even gotten a Grammy nomination for “Best Metal Performance”.
Why do I emphasize Killswitch Engage? Because if you’ve heard more than five songs from them or any similar band then in essence you’ve already heard this album. They play the same melodic hardcore style of music with the screamed verse, sung chorus formula on 9 out of 12 tracks on this album. They do vary things up a little;
A Call to the Faithful is pure metalcore with little melody and no sung chorus, and
Sons of Tomorrow (To Noah James) is an okay ballad, but it’s not anything you haven’t heard done before and sadly, noticeably better.
Vocalist Ryland Raus is nothing to get excited about. His scream could be compared to Alex of Atreyu, except much more tolerable. The singing is a highlight; unlike some bands you could actually call his singing voice “beautiful”. If it weren’t for the fact that he shows little vocal variation (just one scream), my opinion of this might be better. It should be noted that despite being a Christian band, I think the “preachiest” lyric you’re gonna hear is “
You have freed me/I will not suffer anymore”.
The rest of the band is just as mediocre as their singer. Guitarist John Larussa sadly amounts to no more technical skill than Dan Donegan of Disturbed, except without any solos present. However one does get the sense that if he had a rhythm guitarist to back him, he could really shred, but never really does here. The drummer and bass guitarist, despite being heard and allowed to play on their own, deserve no more mention about them than this sentence, really.
There are standouts of course.
Frail Dreams and Rude Awakenings is the best track that uses the aforementioned formula. It burst out of the gate with a scream from Ryland, before the band comes in backing one of the better guitar riffs. The chorus is strong and catchy, and Larussa gets kudos for coming up with a breakdown riff that’s more than simple, repetitive palm muting (which seems to plague the genre).
Sons of Tomorrow (to Noah James) shows they can be melodic and somewhat atmospheric, however it’s little more than your standard ballad. The closing title track attempts to break the formula somewhat, however it drags on for too long (just like your typical closing track…sensing a pattern here?)
At the time I write re-submit this review, the band is writing their sophomore record, which will supposedly be “darker” and “more progressive”. However with the departure of their original bassist and drummer one shouldn’t be holding out for anything much better. The album’s just fine, it just has been done way too many times and with more musical skill.
Standout tracks:
By Grace
Frail Dreams and Rude Awakenings
A Call to the Faithful
Tonight We Die Together
Sons of Tomorrow (To Noah James)
