Review Summary: More Than Life manage to dial back on the more aggressive elements of their previous efforts without 100% losing their bite.
More Than Life's debut album 'Love Let Me Go' generated a fair amount of buzz within the UK Hardcore scene when it was initially released in 2010. With it's combination of fast riffs, melodic chords, screamed vocals, and personal lyrics, LLMG makes for an intense and emotional listen. For their 2014 follow up 'What's Left Of Me', More Than Life manage to progress their sound without alienating those who fell in love with the band following the release of their previous album.
Overall, the main difference is that, for the most part, the songs sound a lot more melodic in comparison to Love Let Me Go. This is a slight negative since the songs don't sound quite as urgent. In spite of that, the songs are great in their own right, and still retain the emotional aspect that flowed through Love Let Me Go, albeit a little more restrained and less chaotic in its execution. Songs like Weight Of The World and the title track utilise almost punk like guitar work, but still manage to pack a punch through the use of emotional sounding octave chords. Some songs also utilise string sections which add to the atmosphere the album is trying to create.
This time around, the vocals are also dialled back a little bit. While they don't quite have the same level as venom as Love Let Me Go did, they still manage to sound emotional and genuine. A handful of songs (Threshold, Seasons Change, and lead single Do You Remember) even make use of clean vocals, further adding to the dynamics.
Album closer 'Love Is Not Enough' is probably the closest the album gets to the sound of the debut, with it's fast paced melodic yet aggressive guitar work. However, this is also combined with the more mellow sounding vocals that ring throughout the album, allowing it to fit in nicely with the rest of the album. Following the more Hardcore sounding first half, the second half contains instrumental chords backed by string sections, rounding out the album on a very positive note.
While some fans might dismiss this album on the account of it being a little more accessible it's predecessor as well as the use of clean vocals in a few songs, More Than Life haven't strayed too far from their roots on this album while also experimenting with their sound. The added dynamics add to the overall feeling of the album, and it'd be a decent entry point album to get people into Melodic Hardcore.
Highlights:
Weight Of The World
What's Left Of Me?
Do You Remember?
Love Is Not Enough
