Review Summary: While it's not the most spectacular thing you'll ever hear, Reckless and Relentless is a fun way to mindlessly waste time.
I, truthfully, do not understand all the negativity that this band generates. Stand Up And Scream was a decent pass at making a listenable Metalcore album. The problem is that not much has changed since then. Reckless and Relentless seems to closely follow the formula that worked the last time around.
The album starts off in a similar fashion as Stand Up And Scream with slow piano playing that gives off a sort of faux dramatic opening and segues in to an over-the-top guitar breakdown. Yes, we've all heard this before. I don't particularly have a problem with the musicianship, I think its passable and fun. The biggest problem I have with this album is that the whole thing seems gimmicky. As if they throw some "big" guitar riffs, screams, and a large degree of techo/house breaks to distract people from the fact that they really haven't done anything memorable. Is this a bad thing? Well, that depends on the person. I feel like they've just stuck to what works, played it safe and created something we can easily forget as soon as its over, but we had fun while it was playing. The album (As with the last one) feels very much like watching a movie directed by Michael Bay - lots of explosions, lots of eye candy and special effects, but your brain craves more.
One thing they do well is that they have an insane talent for creating things that get stuck in your head. The whole album is catchy and fun. None of the instruments break any new ground or do anything really that creative. They have a formula and they're sticking to it. I don't understand why people believe that this makes them a "bad" band. Uncreative, maybe, but not bad. I do feel like they display enough talent to potentially do something great if they really wanted to and THAT might be what everyone is so frustrated about. I, personally, am okay with just having something that I can just blow some time on when I don't feel like thinking too hard. There are other bands I listen to for great musicianship and well-written lyrics.
Overall, I think if you don't mind something being a little stupid but has plenty of cool guitar/techno breakdowns and catchy, fun vocal trade-offs then this is your album. But if you want creativity, mind-blowing musicianship, and well written lyrics, look elsewhere.
