Review Summary: Victory signs a band with potential?!
Victory Records is probably the most hit and miss record label out there. Known for signing some of the weakest metalcore acts around today, Victory (led by Tony Brummel) can be described as that geek from high school whose brother owned a liquor store: sometimes they get lucky. Such is the case with Close Your Eyes, a five-piece melodic hardcore act from Abilene, Texas. Victory advertised the hell out of this band's first single, the fist pumping anthem 'Song for the Broken', with a small snippet appearing at the beginning of labelmates
A Day to Remember's latest music video, along with countless other appearances across the internet. The toughest thing about releasing a debut album is remembering that this is what you are building your fanbase on. Either Victory just doesn't get it, or they're confident that We Will Overcome will make this band, and not break them.
Mid-tempo rocker 'A Proclamation' starts the album off with lead vocalist Shane Raymond belting out some typical love song lyrics over dissonant guitar riffs. The surprising thing is that even though the lyrics seem cliche, they come off as honest, and it just feels right to hear them come out of Shane's mouth. He has a very unique voice, and that is what tends to carry the album. 'Friends Are Friends Forever' is a weak attempt at a more post-hardcore influenced song, mediocre breakdown and all, but we're introduced to some nice harsh vocals courtesy of Brett Callaway, who provides most of the screaming on We Will Overcome.
Lead single 'Song for the Broken' is meant to be an anthem for hardcore kids everywhere, and is one of the more consistent songs on the record. It doesn't go all over the place, and the little guitar melodies really catch your attention. It is a well written song with an actually well written breakdown this time along, complete with your standard gang vocals and cheesy chants, but those things that seem out of place in many contemporary hardcore bands seem right at home on a Close Your Eyes CD.
The bad news is that after a few good and alright songs, the winning streak ends with 'Song for the Broken'. It's all downhill from there. '17:20' is a more punky song, with layered guitar licks over some simple chords, but this go around it feels as if Shane just wrote down lines from A Day to Remember songs he liked and strung them together. Drummer David Fidler shines on this track, but even he can't salvage this mess. 'Wake Up!' is too poppy for it's own good, and doesn't fit following '17:20'. It's just a bad track. Shane even sounds bored singing it.
Nothing after 'Song for the Broken' is the least bit memorable. Guitarists Andrew Rodriguez and Brett Callaway fall flat on their faces after throwing some good riffs for the first half of the album, and for the most part, bassist Sonny Vega is completely nonexistent. Close Your Eyes have a lot of potential, and after a few more releases could really live up to the expectations one would get after seeing so many advertisements. We Will Overcome is a decent album, with only a few throw-away tracks, but Shane Raymond's honest approach can only go so far.
Recommended Tracks:
A Proclamation
The Body
Song for the Broken
