Review Summary: Using a solid combination of their two previous albums, Senses Fail gives you a double dose of great post-hardcore.
Senses Fail has been around for quite some time now. Being a New Jersey native, it's almost impossible to escape the Senses Fail fan base that surrounds my area. Has that really influenced me? Not really, I decided to check Senses Fail out for myself. The band's last outing, "Life Is Not a Waiting Room", was a pretty straight-forward mix of the band's known pop-punk style with some extremely hidden metalcore roots. It was not a bad album, by any means, but there was definitely some holes in the group's overall sound. On "The Fire", Senses Fail showed that they have more potential and more fire (Ironic, I know.) than they have previously had.
The major standout in this album is the improvement of Buddy Nielsen's vocals. Buddy has always had the stage presence reminiscent of a bull out of the gates, but this time out you could hear the rage in his vocals. I would say that the amount of clean singing barely outweighs the amount of screaming. The screams are better than ever. Buddy's singing voice has definitely improved, and the screams have drastically improved. But how about the lyrics? Well... we can always count on Buddy writing lyrics about his personal life or drug problems. They just seem to hit a little bit closer to home this time.
The band as a whole seems incredibly tight. The music sounds a bit more thought out, rather than the song formulas that the band has been known to use in the past. The choruses are always a bit poppy and reminiscent of each other, but the instrumentation is extremely on cue. "New Years Eve" showcases the band's old post-hardcore roots, complete with a catchy chorus, and powerful screams by Buddy. Hell, this song even has time-signature changes. I never thought I'd see the day where you could hear things like this in a Senses Fail song.
The album has it's fair share of heavier tracks for the fans, including "Coward", "Lifeboats", and "Irish Eyes". Just like the previous "LINAWR", the heavier tracks are often alternated with slower or more melodic songs. The album definitely has a sense of flow, and "Saint Anthony" is the cream of the crop as far as pop-punk goes. The only problem that Senses Fail continuously runs into is a lack of diversity among their songs. Most of these songs stand out on their own, but most of the generic pop-punk anthems are beginning to sound more and more reminiscent of each other.
For new fans, you will have a ball with this one. It is a well above-average album from one of the premier post-hardcore bands of the 2000's. For those of you who have been with them since day one, you may be in for just a tad of disappointment. Old fans will subconsciously compare this to "Let it Enfold You" and "Still Searching", and I encourage you strongly not to do so. Comparing this album to the band's earlier material will only hinder your enjoyment of their new material.
Having said that, there is a lot to be heard on this album. Great melodies. Heavier sections. A couple grandiose guitar solos. Above all, the quality of Buddy Nielsen's vocals has drastically improved. Even the monotonous of choruses sound a bit better due to the obvious growth and maturity of the band.
As much as this album does a lot of things correctly, it leaves a lot to be desired. I can't help but feel that Senses Fail has a lot more to bring the table musically than they did here. Make no mistake, this album is solid, but it definitely had more than enough potential to go above and beyond.
