Review Summary: Post Hardcore at its finest
After sifting through tons of album reviews and comment pages I've come to realize that the folks of Sputnik music mutually agree on very few albums and even a even lesser number of artists. Albums such as Jane Doe, Traced In Air and De-loused in the Comatorium are almost exclusively looked upon as classic, as are artists such as Circle Takes the Square, Paramore and Between the Buried and Me (to an extent). One band I was surprised to see among the revered few that breach the elitness of Sputnik is As Cities Burn; there is a very good reason why.
Most people on Sputnik, and most other listeners, are most likely more familiar with the newer, more post-rock releases Come Now Sleep and Hell or High Water. These albums pushed As Cities Burn into the mainstream (for the most part) and solidified them as a force in the music industry and on the Solid State label, second only to the great Underoath. But before those albums they put out a post-hardcore masterpiece entitled Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest. This was the last album to feature T.J. Bonnette as the lead vocalist as he would later be replaced by his brother, Cody, and the band would proceed in a different musical direction.
The first song I ever heard off of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest was One: Twentyseven, and this was the song that gave me a taste of what made up As Cities Burn, and sold me on this band completely. Effect laden guitar lines, off tempo drumming and a combination of harsh and clean vocals which gave As Cities Burn a unique sound in the post-hardcore genre. With a tasteful guitar tone that skims the thread between outright metal distortion and soft post rock tone, and amazing use of echo and reverb, the guitar was the first thing to catchy my ear. The intro to Admission: Regret, and the chord work on Bloodsucker Pt. II show that the guitarists are versatile and efficient and switch up their tone and style enough to keep the listener interested and intrigued as to what is coming next. The vocals are also a highlight of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest. The screams of T.J. give the album some harshness, while the clean vocals of Cody, such as those in the gorgeous ballad The Widow, showcase the melody and minimalist style that would form the backbone of Come, Now Sleep. In the background is the drumming and bass. The drumming is not amazing, but is adequate and provides enough interesting shifts and fills to not sound monotones and boring. It provides a good reflection when the guitars are riffing away, and also is in the perfect place in the mix; not to high as to be overwhelming, but not too low as to be inaudible. Speaking of inaudible, the bass is actually audible in Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest. Like the drumming, the bass does not stand out on its own, but provides a solid and quality background to the rest of the band.
Lyrically this album is up there as one of the best. Lines such as these show the strong lyrical contents that As Cities Burn puts out.
Admission: Regret:
"so I hear there's a whole world out there, but I've grown to love this bed too much to leave it
if love really drives out fear, then I pray it's her voice I've been hearing outside my door."
Bloodsucker Pt. II
"let it be known that this is what you'll get
for falling out of line
no one wins against the machine
so get back in line"
Although these lyrics come from a strong Christian context, there is enough vagueness in them that even the most atheistic of listener can listen to this album and find something in the lyrics that they can personally relate to.
Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest was the album that put As Cities Burn into the minds of many listeners and indeed there is adequate reason. This album sets a standard for post-hardcore and gave the band a platform from which to leap to even greater musical heights. Although not as well known as Come, Now Sleep or Hell or High Water, fans of post- hardcore or music in general should check out this album
