Review Summary: The one classic metalcore album
This album kicks ass all the way through. In a scene full of such pretenders as Bullet For My Valentine, most As I Lay Dying and Avenged Sevenfold, metalcore finally has an album to be very proud of, and one that could easily be the flagship album of the genre. The guitar riffs are low-end tuned but are fantastically performed, using a variety of tempos and never being afraid to jump into a breakdown that are so often maligned in the genre, but are here done considerably more tastefully than the average metalcore album. However, it is the vocals that really get me on here. The vocalist of this album has a great screaming voice, frequently jumping from a manic shout to an insanely sharp scream, but occasionally switching it up a bit and going into a very soothing clean voice that does nothing except simply drag the listener in. This is one vocalist who packs a whole lot of talent and is never afraid to show it.
The bands most famous song is present on here, entitled You Won't Be Missed, and it really is a great song. Whilst being overly typical of the metalcore genre, containing a lot of breakdowns and a mixture of screaming and clean vocals with more emphasis on the former, this song somehow packs a real punch and has a lot of genuine anger and emotion behind the lyrics. The guitars, down-tuned beyond belief, bust out a few fantastically composed riffs that really do suit the nature of the song and enable the listener to focus on the vocalist and the words being spat out of his mouth with all the rage he can find. This is how a metalcore song should be done, and is an ideal starting point for those unfamiliar with the band. This is also the most typical metalcore song found on the album, with songs such as G.N.F. being considerably different and faster whilst also having a few fantastic riffs and the usual angst-filled lyrics sprayed out by the vocalist.
This is a full throttle metalcore masterpiece that is part of every single cliche and maligned point about the genre and yet somehow manages to show them in a new light, feeling exceedingly fresh with every new spin it recieves. If there was ever a classic metalcore album then this is the one, containing the most pulsing guitar riffs found in the genre, and outdoing all of the bands that have turned this genre into a cancerous brand of music. Definitely give this one a listen. It's ***ing awesome.
