Review Summary: The fat grooves and visceral vocals may always be there, but I'm not sure that fans would have it any other way.
To say that Every Time I Die have been around the block would be a gross understatement at this point; these good ol' boys have been providing excellent offerings of chaotic yet groovy metalcore for the better part of fifteen years. The most interesting part of Every Time I Die's consistency is that it has been unerringly forward progress with every release. Keith Buckley and company have somehow been able to present their music in a fresh way every album while still retaining the trademark characteristics that have always made them so endearing.
From Parts Unknown has easily skipped its way to the forefront of the better Every Time I Die albums, further expounding on the spastic and extremely (at least for the genre) aggressive sound that has dominated the past two excellent releases. By enlisting super producer Kurt Ballou for this release, it was reasonable to expect this to be a furious burst of hardcore energy. It was more of a shock to see just how far the progression went, however;
From Parts Unknown is a veritable gold-mine of hits, taking the best parts of past efforts and creating monumental slabs of heavy, dirty metalcore. "The Great Secret" is a blistering opener that features furious drumming and an extremely memorable guitar riff, while "Decayin' With The Boys" features the all-too-familiar southern rock influence complete with a cleanly-sung chorus. While it is obvious that the band are at their best when providing the listener with short, metallic bursts of brutality, the midway point of the album is undeniably the best experiment the band has ever attempted. "Moor" takes a lone, simple piano line and combines it with Buckley's ever-improving clean vocals. As the song progresses, it changes on a dime and the all too familiar screams mesh with mid-paced guitar and drums to provide one of the most unique formulas that we have seen yet for Every Time I Die.
It has been a pleasure to watch as Every Time I Die have ascended to become the best version of themselves. What has been more and more evident as time has passed in their career is that the band have striven to become a standout band, but have also had a hell of a time while doing it. The fun is never more obvious than in the last song "El Dorado", as Buckley's signature sneering vocals lead the instruments through a romping good time.
From Parts Unknown is the sum of everything that the band has accomplished thus far while throwing in a few surprises here and there. The fat grooves and visceral vocals may always be there, but I'm not sure that fans would have it any other way.
