Review Summary: A great album that will be hard to get out of your playlists for awhile.
It’s rather difficult to label a fairly new album as being “classic”. This type of a label should not be applied without careful consideration, very many listens, and a thorough enveloping of the music. A true classic album will arguably have one true component, among a few obvious others: staying power. How will this album sound in a few months, years, or even decades down the line when you are explaining the greats of music past to your kids? Will it still have that magical effect on you then that it does now? A true classic album will stand the test of time and even possibly get better through time. With The End is not the End, House of Heroes has laid out a beautifully crafted masterpiece that will be sure to please ears for years to come.
A short instrumental leads into the true album opener, If. If is such an amazing opening track, it’s hard to find a dull spot. Lead singer Tim Skipper is the highlight on this track, as he is on most of the album. His vocals go from soaring highs to almost whisper-like lows. Lose Control follows where we start to see the true concept of the album start to come forward. The End is not the End is a packaged idea about World War II. This package has everything from love to integrity. With references to Communism, treachery, prison, enemies, and even torture, House of Heroes elaborately paints a picture of World War II that the listener cannot help but be drawn into.
Each song displays the musicianship of every member of the band. Whether it’s soaring gang vocals or a driving bass line, it can’t be helped but to admire what they have accomplished with this album. The song that most exemplifies this is In the Valley of the Dying Son. A simple, yet effective bass line drives the song along while the whole band joins together to create a very soothing vocal tone. Even the percussion in this song is perfectly placed. Wood blocks take over when the band starts to tone it down, but the band changes it up halfway through the song. This song has such haunting lyrics (I’m thinking of you when you kill a good man to keep yourself from being killed by him… All through the night, I wrestled the angel to undo the curse that burdened me all of my life.), yet the overall tone of the song conveys such hope that you can’t help but smile when it starts to play.
House of Heroes even gets the listener to sympathize with a Communist on Baby’s a Red. This song is a love song to a Communist that goes all out with the music but the real highlight are the playful lyrics found throughout. Hearing Skipper and the boys sing “Hammer and Sickle on my mind” always pushes that button inside that makes you truly think about someone in this situation. The album really has no low point. It seems cliché to throw that in a review for an album receiving a 5 rating, but every song can be enjoyed every time you hear it. Not to mention, every song has a very memorable quality that will surely be just as special years down the line.
If you are lucky enough to actually get your hands on the physical release of this album, you have two extra songs that just add to the success of the album. One of the songs, Ghost, is one of the highlights. It is a simple song, driven mostly by soft acoustic guitar and soothing almost melancholy vocals, but it definitely gets the message across. If you are not prepared for this song, the story told could be quite emotional. It wouldn’t be as successful but Skipper’s truly heartfelt voice shows so much emotion that the story effects you in ways most songs only wish to.
Overall, this album has everything. Every instrument is on showcase here to show the vast differences in sound from one song to the next. Whether you are fan of Metal, Indie, or pretty much anything else, you will find something to latch onto on this collection of great tunes.
Album highlights are:
If
Lose Control
In the Valley of the Dying Son
Code Name: Raven
Baby’s a Red
Voices
Ghost
