Review Summary: A unique album that highlights every member of the band in unique ways, while providing fantastic music for the listener.
Inked in Blood...typical band just signed from Oregon with an album...or so you think? Inked in Blood has worked very hard, and has had to go through tons of losses to get to where they are today...and that, today, is greatness. Inked in Blood's second album, (their first being an EP), really stands out from other typical hardcore/metalcore bands.
Some songs on the CD "Lay Waste the Poets" can be extremely repetative, such as "Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry," "Ending With A Question", and "...All That I Have." Though they might seem to go on forever, all of the other tracks on the album stand out so much that you won't even care about repeated phrases.
Inked in Blood (on this album) is:
Joey Trump-Vocals
Blake Hooper-Guitar
Matt McDonnell-Guitar
Chris Esinoza-Bass
Justin Salinas-Drums
After checking out this website enough, I have seen many people give 'ratings per song', so, this being my first review, I'd figure I'd give this a go.
The tracks are as follows:
1. "All That Remains..."-5/5-The track fades in to a catchy rhythm, that is simply palm muted. Eventually, a guitar comes in with a catchy melody, and then after "ALL THAT REMAINS!" is chanted, the song begins to rock. The beginning keeps speeding up, and speeding up until the first verse starts, when you can really hear the band's music skills come in. With nice guitars, good drums, and a good vocalist, this song really is a good opener for the album. The middle of the song can throw you off a bit, but the ending re-quotes the beginning, and the song ends. A great opener.
2. "Hoping to Dream & Never Return"-4/5-Though this song is not as long as "All That Remains," it feels longer. The song can drag, and can feel repeative, even though it isn't. When you think it ends, it just keeps going. At the end, you can hear a hint of other vocals coming in, hinting at maybe a more melodic vocal approach later on in the album. Like all songs, it ends. A mediocre song.
3. "Lest I Sleep the Sleep of Death"-75/5-Okay, maybe I exaggerated just a bit on this one, but this song alone is proably the reason why anyone should buy this album. This song is incredibly unique, and stands out from every other song on this album. It starts with a weird clashing chord, following from some incredible drumming. The vocals come in, and listening to it, you eventually begin to feel the pulse, when all of a sudden, it changes. The song pulls the carpet from under you, and it changes to a completely different feel. Nonetheless, the guitar harmonics are great, and it eventually leads up to a section when Joey, the vocalist, begins to actually speak and say, "And I know that I am outnumbered, and that my enemies are near." Eventually, the song re-quotes the opening clashing chords, and then ends on a chord...or so you think. The drummer gives a few hits on the cymbol, and then the song again, changes. The rest of the song is a bunch of major chords with some guitar work that has been heard earlier in the song. It's really a pumping section, and is the true reason why this song stands out. At the very end, clean vocals finally chime in, and they sound incredible, by saying, "I cannot remain without you, without you all my life is lost." A truly remarkable piece of music. A classic.
4. "Fall From Your Eyes"-5/5-After such a great song ends, an acoustic song begins to start. This song seems to be the "ballad" song of the album, but then, it changes. It becomes another memorable song on the album, with catchy rhythms done by the band. Eventually, the song changes again, and becomes a faster-paced song, only for a short while though, eventually, the song ends and is ended by the acoustic guitars heard in the beginning.
5. "Compassion is My Own Dissent"-4.5/5-The songs stars off with a melody from the guitars and the drums, all in the same rhythm, eventually leading into another pretty fast-paced song. Then, it builds to a memorable song on the album. It has more catchy rhytms and melodies, with great vocals done by Joey. When the song begins to slow down, one would think the song is over, but it continues to an ending with more catchy melodies from the band.
6. "These Sonnets of Our Lives"-5/5-This song is probably second on the awesome scale for this album, of course, being next to "Lest I Sleep the Sleep of Death." This song starts off with vocals, and then, becomes a trade off between Joey's Vocals and the other singing vocalist. The song is yet again, catchy. You'll be singing the song again and again. When the song appears to end, it doesn't. The drums kick in, and then it changes to a completely different song. In a way, the song almost sounds like a radio-rock track at the end, followed with some screaming in the background, some cool rhytmic riffs, and a lead melody. A great song on the album that stands out as well.
7. "Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry"-4/5-A repetative song...basically being a relaxing interlude, with some orchestra instruments in the background. Its acoustic, and there are no drums or bass at all. It almost sounds like something you would listen to while sitting at a fancy restaraunt. A different take to the album, but you, being the listener, knows there is tons more to come.
8. "Kiss the Lips of Your Betrayer"-4.5/5-This song bascially can throw you off a bit, but its a great song, that features some chanting in it. With more catchy riffs, and more guitar work, this song is another great listener for the album. Its not a highlight, but its not a bad track either.
9. "Comatose"-4/5-This song starts off strangely with talk about everyone being musicians. It almost sounds like a quote from "The Music Man." It then turns into a pretty cool song, except after hearing a lot of other memorable moments on the album, this song really can't get the attention it deserves. Its a good listen though.
10. "All That I Have"-5/5-The shortest song on the album, that only has one phrase said the whole time. "There is nothing more I can give than my heart and soul. There is nothing more I can give than myself in full." Its catchy, and leads right into the end song which is...
11. "Ending With A Question"-5/5-This song goes two ways. In order to understand this song, and appreciate it, you would have had to listen to the whole album non-stop, or even just "All That I Have" right before this one. If you listen to this ALONE, this song would hands down get a 2.5/5, or a 3/5, reason being is that this song is extremely, extremely, long, and repeative. The song has the same melody playing, which is a great melody, and the whole song just fades out the whole time, little by little, ending "Lay Waste the Poets." It will give the listener time to cool off, and during the whole song, reflet on the album, like I have done.
Bottom line, this CD is a great CD with tons of highlights and unique features, and really showcases the true talent of this band. While Inked in Blood might not be as popular as typical metalcore bands such as As I Lay Dying, Haste the Day, or It Dies Today, an album like this certainly deserves recognition. It's a great album, and a must-buy for anyone into this genre of music.
Pros:
-Great catchy melodies and rhythms.
-Great musicianship.
-"Lest I Sleep the Sleep of Death."
Cons:
-Repetative phrases.
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you all will invest in all my other future reviews!
UPDATE: About 4 years after reviewing this, I've shifted my score a bit. Still a great album, but didn't age as well as a 'classic' album normally would.
