Review Summary: An emerging melodic hardcore unit has crafted an excellent EP, in which all facets of composition come together in an exceptionally executed, if a tad generic, hardcore release.
"What We See," the first EP of melodic-hardcore group "Napoleon" is nothing short of a phenomenal start, filled with promise of what is to come.
There may not be anything groundbreaking about this release, but few modern hardcore bands possess the ability to compose such creative pieces of music, especially on their first EP. The strengths behind this album lie in the intelligent guitar playing, and the cohesive writing that fosters interplay between instruments and vocals. The guitar lines are more technical than average, and its hard not to listen in awe as the guitarist writes lines that function simultaneously as lead, and rhythm guitar. What's more, these guitar lines are catchy, and I often found myself humming along to the guitar rather than the rhythm of the vocals. That being said, the vocals on this album are nothing short of great, boasting both intelligent lyrics and a well executed vocal performance. Not to be overlooked, the drums and bass provide strong backgrounds throughout, accenting the vocal and lead guitar lines of the four pieces. However these two don't just serve as competent background parts, but help drive the songs during both breakdowns and verses.
Despite what they did right, Napoleon seemed too focused on mastering the sound they had developed, neglecting variety in their music. Though only four songs, and four great ones at that, each song simply sounds too similar to the last one. None of the songs are bad, but variety in their composition would help make a great release even better. One area in particular need of variety is the vocals, which, despite being great, never stray higher or lower in range throughout the EP. While they will soon have a different vocalist (the one on this EP left) it might be a good idea to include more vocal variety in their debut album.
Taking into account everything the group pulled off well, any criticism I can offer is mere nitpicking of a superb release. Though the group could benefit from additional attention to certain areas of musical composition, everything offered here is of the highest quality, and if you enjoy hardcore at all, check Napoleon out!
