Review Summary: There is a part of me that always sees the easy way out...
What is it really that makes a band successful? Is it about the amount of albums you sell, or how many fans you manage to gain along the way? Well, some bands manage to be successful without doing either of those two things. Emery surely aren't one of the most popular bands out there, but they produce some of the best post-hardcore I've heard in my life. Album after album they keep impressing me, with great dueling vocals and screaming. Their lyrics always seem well-written and meaningful. Toby Morell has to be one of the best vocalists of the genre, his distinctive, melodic vocals carries this album from beginning to end.
This is not what I expected from Emery after the disappointing 'I'm Only A Man'. 'In Shallow Seas We Sail' is their most mature and consistent release yet. With absolutely no filler, the songs are instant classics and holds a great deal of lasting value. While there are no weak tracks, there are a few that stands above the rest. 'Curbside Goodbye', 'Churches And Serial Killers' and 'In Shallow Seas We Sail' are according to me the three best songs. As I said, it's really hard to pick from the thirteen tracks, with all of them being top notch.
'Curbside Goodbye' starts with trademark Emery screaming, before Toby Morell shows us how much his vocals have improved. The chorus features the duel singing between him and Devin Shelton. There's a beautiful melodic ending to the song, making it my favorite song on the album. The title track features some of the best vocal work on the album, with producer Aaron Sprinkle singing a couple of lines near the end of the song. 'Butcher's Mouth' is probably the most 'mainstreamish'(Is that even a word?) song on the album, it features a great lead riff and a melodic chorus. There's a rare breakdown on 'A Sin To Hold On To', contributing to the album's sense of variety. The last two songs is actually one song broken up in two parts. Dear Death part 1 and part 2. The first one is a more mellow song, with great lyrics(Even some in Spanish). The second part is a straight forward rock song, with the tempo changing throughout the song. "You brought me death, and it's everything I wanted", Morell sings full of emotion.
This truly is a classic for me personally, it's been a long time since an album had such a impact on me like 'In Shallow Seas We Sail'. This is next to AFI's 'Sing The Sorrow' as one of my favorite albums of the decade. Full of emotion and meaning, Emery release their best yet.
Pros :
Excellent duel vocals.
Variety of songs.
No weak songs.
Cons:
The screaming could be better.
Recommended Tracks :
Curbside Goodbye
Churches And Serial Killers
In Shallow Seas We Sail
A Sin To Hold On To
Dear Death Part 2
