Review Summary: While it's not anything we haven't heard before, Confide have put their spin on things to keep their latest release interesting and fresh.
When Confide announced their return to music just under a year ago, the world wasn't really sure what to expect.
The band gave it away in 2010 following struggles to stay out on the road following their hectic touring schedule, however due to constant calls from fans to reunite the 5-piece metalcore act made the call to write music again without a big focus on touring.
Controversially using the Kickstarter 'fan-funded' platform to garner enough support for a third LP, the band raised over $38,000 dollars and set to work on writing and recording their new record, 'All is Calm'.
As a backer of the record, I was extremely excited to see how this album turned out. No record backing? No writing restrictions? Maybe we could hear something really fresh and interesting from a band who many said took the safe route with their 2010 release 'Recover', stepping away from the sound of their post-hardcore debut for a more stripped-down metalcore approach. I'll admit I enjoyed both releases for what they were, so I went into this album with high hopes and an open mind.
The good news here is that All is Calm doesn't really sound like anything the band has previously released. With a bigger emphasis on spacey electronics and ambient breaks in pretty much every song, it's a different approach.
Produced and coordinated by drummer and clean vocalist Joel Piper, it's evident he's had his hand in the production aspect. You can either love or hate it, as he has altered a good amount of the albums catchy choruses with pitch correction.
The first track on the record 'Rise Up', is a fairly good indicator of what the rest of the record focuses on.
Starting off with screaming vocalist Ross Kenyon screaming over the top of a techno type electronic beat, the album kicks into gear with a loud chorus before moving into one of the bands signature breakdowns. Every song features a similar song structure with Piper handling majority of the choruses and Kenyon screaming the verses.
They've almost pushed the envelope in two different directions. It sounds like they've become heavier when aiming to be heavy, but when trying to push for a poppy sound it almost skews into the ranks of electronic dance music.
We Just Wanted Freedom is an excellent example. It starts off with a chaotic guitar section similar to the Architects work before moving into Joel's chorus which almost changes up the pace and feel of the song entirely. It's tough to say whether this approach works, and it would've been cool to see what would've happened if they kept it entirely heavy for one song as it doesn't give the listener a chance to take it all in.
A few tracks such as 'Days are Gone' and 'Unhappy Together, Unhappy Alone' literally shift from one beat to another which I felt was a bit overdone. For the most part they combine the electronics with the gritty guitar work quite well, but on occasions it feels forced.
Other tracks such as 'Livin' the Dream' give Kenyon the main vocal role as he talks about the bands past and his own view on their life on the road. He is probably the albums strong point, he sounds excellent throughout and mixes it up with a good combination of low-screams and midrange screams.
My favourite track off the record 'Do You Believe me Now' combines all these aspects very nicely. It sounds similar to alot of the stuff on Recover. The aforementioned electronics improve the song and it doesn't feel overproduced. It's the last track and a good way to end the album.
It would be fair to say it's not really anything the we haven't heard before, but the band has put their own spin on things to keep it interesting. They've crafted a catchy record that it feels like they've put their heart into. I personally really enjoyed the separate influences ranging from straight-up metalcore to the catchy pop beats. Whether Joel overdid it on the production side of things is a topic for debate, but I personally felt it blended in well with the direction the album took.
All in all, it still sounds very much like Confide while adding in a few new twists.
They were always going to cop it from the internet community for coming to the fans in the quest to put out a new record, so alot of people will feel it doesn't live up to what was put in financially, but the band has come out with an honest record that hasn't settled to just blend into the background.
I can applaud Confide for taking risks and even if a few of them fall short, it adds up to a catchy album that sticks in your head and remains true to their sound while aiming to branch out as a band.
