Review Summary: A solid album with enough variety in the tracks to appeal to anybody even vaguely interested in the genre
First off, I have to say that I'm not a heavy listener of metalcore music in the slightest. While I may dabble in the genre now and again, I've never had much of a desire to listen to any of the albums throughout. However, listening to this album from first track to last was something I was intrigued to do once, and have done many times since.
The lead track, "The Webs We Weave", is a fantastic opener for the album, kicking it off with a fast-paced progression with fantastic guitar playing. The lead singer, Ronnie Radke, shows a good side; a great tone in the normally sung sections and the rasp that anyone who is a fan of the genre would come to expect. I had high hopes that the album would continue with this style. Unfortunately, in many of the following songs, the band aimed for a simpler and more generic sound, albeit with many high points throughout.
In some of the following songs, namely "When I Go Out, I Want To Go Out On A Chariot Of Fire", I feel like not enough emphasis is put on guitar and perhaps a little too much on Ronnie's voice. In the aforementioned song, there are several points where the singing seems a tad amateurish and a little too whiney even for the genre. As many people have said, the band seems to lack variety in many of the tracks, taking many similar sounds rather than stretch themselves out as a more diverse group.
While many hardcore fans have issue with bands taking a more pop-oriented turn to gain radioplay, if you can get past that fact, there are many more songs to be enjoyed on the album. Most notable of which are "Situations" and "Reverse This Curse". Both of which are great, catchy songs if you arent to bothered by the fact that they are not the hardcore songs that were expected by those who purchased the album. One track that really shines through is "Not Good Enough For Truth In Cliche", a moderate paced song with brilliant guitar work and a very vocal oriented sound. In what is quite likely the best display of Ronnie's vocals on the album, and the song is sure to be the track that you skip to.
The closing song, "The Day I Left The Womb", is an interesting change from the pace of the album. A quick acoustic number, it cannot be denied that it shows a different side of the band, even if you do not like the song itself. The only thing more that I can really say about the album is to recommend it to anyone who is interested in the genre or who has enough of an open mind to give it a listen.
