Review Summary: Somebody is pretty fucking pissed.
On a personal level, the music I listen to depends upon my mood.
If I'm feeling funky/groovy, I'll listen to Dance Gavin Dance w/Kurt Travis
If I'm feeling defiant or upset, I'll listen to Rise Against
If I'm feeling joyous, I'll listen to Four Year Strong
I only listen to such bands during such moods because they are able to amplify certain moods.
And if I'm feeling pissed and want to drop kick a baby in the face into the gates of oblivion, I'll listen to Like Moths to Flames.
This band is a metalcore band with a fairly large amount of clean vocals. I would almost consider them Post-Hardcore if every song wasn't so laden with breakdowns. I will go about this review by reviewing each section of the band by itself (vocals, guitars, drums), and then end with a review of the band as a whole.
Like Moths to Flames consists of vocalist Chris Roetter on vocals:
Roetter's screams have decent range going from lows to highs. Throughout the course of the album though you will hear a large amount of mids. The screams fit and are a definite plus to the overall sound of the band. Roetter's unclean vocals can be easily compared to We Came As Roman's (stop cringing) unclean vocalist Dave Stephens with the exception in that Roetter tends to go a bit higher at times.
His clean vocals are also on par with the screams. It is a likeable voice that tends to be in the upper mid range throughout the album. His cleans do tend to follow the pattern of only being in the choruses, but they are decent enough to be heard that often.
Lyrically, Roetter tends to be a bit rough around the edges with gems such as "Go *** yourself if you can't handle it." Though this does add to the overall tone of the album which will be discussed below in the Band in Unison section.
Zach Huston and Aaron Evans on guitar, and Aaron Douglass on bass:
This is where the music tends to fall a little flat. The album is riddled with many chug along break downs. Song after song, the guitarists seem to follow the same pattern of chugging. Never will you really hear great riffs, so if you are after a progressive band, this is not your band. There are a few shining moments such as in You Won't Be Missed, Faithless Living, and Praisefeeder.
Lance Greenfield on Drums:
Lance Greenfield is an excellent drummer, and is from the bands To The Lions, and A Stained Glass Romance as well if I'm not mistaken. His footwork is very intricate throughout the whole album and his fills are anything but mediocre. Greenfield shines in this album where the guitarists fail.
Band in Unison:
Together, the parts fit and there are definitely standout moments. At it's core, When We Don't Exist is a VERY ANGRY album, thus why I would only listen to it if I were pissed off, or wanted good workout music. You can feel the anger in Trophy Child, the frustration in Praisefeeder, and resentment in You Won't Be Missed.
Pros:
Great Vocals
Excellent Drummer
Very Emotional Tracks
Cons:
Lackluster Guitars
Over Abundance of Breakdowns
