Review Summary: It's almost worth the mounds of hyperbolic claims it receives.
One faithful boring Saturday morning while surfing the web and illegally mass torrenting,, I wandered Sputnik as i do most days. Browsing artists that i currently dig and reading reviews of albums i"ve once had the hots for. And along came Oh, Sleeper's first EP "The Armored March EP". What a great album.. i thought. As i reminisced through old middle school memories,, i realized that i didn"t have Son of the Morning. And i HAD to get it. What kind of fan am i to not? and I"d have to say that it fulfills every expectation that has been laid down for them from their other albums. They"ve kept the same vocal screaming and the gorgeous guitar riffs that they have. They"ve managed to keep a good beat in almost every song on this album which made me smile :) All of Oh, Sleeper"s followers should be content with this,, although- some songs are a bit disappointing considering that they seem to have a habit of making some tracks seem a little monotone with the vocals and instrumentals.
The opening of their sophomore album with
Son of The Morning was a genius idea. The opening line of "I am the rival, i am the one who speaks in whispers, hear me now dear, weak forgiver" really caught my attention and it"s just a really good sound with it- and to top of the song the chorus is great,, as is ending. I"d have to say it"s my favorite song from the album. Following is
The New Breed which at the beginning has you a little confused because of the almost light guitar,, and as you continue to listen- that wonderful trade mark scream of their appears from the dark and then... it"s mixed in with semi-singing in the chorus. Making the song only average;; although the lyrics are fantastic as always. No matter the actual quality of the song,, they never seem to fail in having some great lines.
Breathing Blood had me a little on my toes. Instrumentals were nice but nothing too worthy of speaking of. The part i truly enjoyed of the song was the vocals with "Fill my lungs with won't bleed from my enemies, He said "if death is victory, how afraid of life can you be?" but the song is powerful in itself if your really listening.
Reveries of Flight hit a soft spot in my heart. He sings of this someone who is deaf to his voice and that he needs to be close to them.
"You keep denying my lead!
Because I've tried, I've never pulled back my reach, and I've stayed and I've died, but you keep looking for me where I'm not.
I won't be just where you want me to be.
You've got to believe and just trust that I can be everything."
It"s the magical yet sad feeling that you get when you listen to it that you want to put it on repeat for a while just to really soak it all in. The feeling soon ends after that when
World Without A Sun plays. The guitar in the intro is heavy in its riff,, and once again the vocalist seems to angry and scared somewhat. But not like that is anything unusual for them;; the track ends too quickly though. just as your getting into it,, 2:26 is up and it begins to start that monotone business they do.. which makes
The Fire Dawn and
A Banquet For Traitors songs that you might end up skipping after the first few times you buy the CD.
Oh but don"t feel so disappointed yet fans,, the last two tracks are almost a redeemer from the previous two before them.
Commissioned by Kings brings you back to the days of When I Am God and it"s so similar to when you listen to Skillets "Comatose",, and then to "Awake". It just takes you to the oh so familiar sound that they"ve kept the entire time of the bands being. It"s true that some things never change ey? The lyrics are aggravated and the scream is raspy- "I breathe in your light and like fires my colors now light, though outnumbered by lines, we"ll stay and fight". It"s the message that"s been portrayed through so many of their songs and after a while of being a fan you can"t help but just expect that from them. They leave you in this with
The Finisher;; which was the perfect song to choose as a conclusion. He talks of him being the The Finisher and with him the Angels will work. No surprise,, Christianity shows itself in them as it always does. What better lyrics could you seperate with than:
"From the armories the angels sing. You will see them end this suffering.
From the armories the angels sing. You will fear them when they lift their wings.
They will sing to a world reborn.
They will sing as I cut off your horns.
I'll cut off your horns"
Recommended Tracks:
Son of the Morning
The New Breed
Breathing Blood
Reveries of Flight
World Without A Sun
Tracks to Pass:
The Fire Dawn
A Banquet For Traitors
