Review Summary: Though they would grow on Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts, We Will Overcome shows a young band who hasn’t quite reached their full potential.
A Day To Remember spearheaded a movement with their debut record
And Their Name Was Treason, a movement that would grow ever stronger and spawn multiple bands. The movement, of course, was blending the melodic tendencies of pop-punk with riff-driven, scream-powered hardcore, a movement that became known as post-hardcore or melodic hardcore. Of course, young musicians knew they could profit from blending heavy with light, so they did. One such band was Close Their Eyes, and though they’ve adapted a straightforward hardcore sound today,
We Will Overcome was a post-hardcore oriented effort that sounded exactly like it came from the ADTR camp.
Indeed, CYE was regarded as ADTR’s younger brother on the release of
Overcome, and it didn’t help that both were signed to Victory Records. And, this comparison isn’t totally unfair. Vocalist Shane Raymond utilized a fairly high-pitched singing voice, occasionally delving into harsher yells and growls, not unlike Jeremy McKinnon. However, his passionate delivery saves him from becoming just a Jeremy-clone, and he may be the band’s strongest aspect. Rhythm guitarist/backup vocalist Brett Calaway primarily chugs along in Drop C and very rarely does anything creative, though some of his riffs succeed at being punchy and fun. Former lead guitarist Andy Rodriguez is a surprising highlight, playing For Today-inspired leads and even a few solos that sound more akin to metalcore than post-hardcore and work well for variety. Both drummer and bassist blend in and don’t do much out of the ordinary, so lower your expectations for the rhythm section.
“xChet Stedmanx” contains a solo that saves it from becoming a filler track, while Shane grabs the listener by the throat on tracks like “Song For The Broken,”, “A Proclamation”, and “Wake Up”. “Digging Graves” rages with Comeback Kid-esque intensity and doesn’t slow down, encouraging the listener to raise their fist in revolution, not unlike “Injustice”, a later track from the band. The gang vocals are honestly a great touch as well. The breakdown in “Song For The Broken” is ridiculously simple and somewhat expected, but its intensity and fitting placement make it oddly enjoyable as well. Finally, “Bitter Path” boasts the strongest drum performance all album, as well as one of the only times Brett truly steps out of his shell with the riffing, and the track is pretty song for being placed later on the record.
Shane (who is now back with CYE, for those who didn’t know) still manages to be the strongest part of the band, mainly because he’s capable of singing triumphantly, growling darkly, and yelling angrily. Next to him, the lead guitarist is the strongest individual of the band, and at times keeps the record afloat.
We Will Overcome blazes with an energy that makes you want to overcome, and there’s a chance you’ll feel at least a little inspired after one full listen. The reason this is only a chance is because the amount of filler that drags the album down becomes boring, and makes a full listen somewhat of a chore. In addition, CYE did nothing new on this record, and it’s standard, expected fare all listen.
CYE is a Christian band, but focus much more on positive lyrical content then straight-up Christianity. “Song For The Broken”, “Wake Up”, and “xChet Stedmanx” all encourage those who are feeling down, while “Friends Are Friends Forever” decries hypocrites. “A Proclamation” and “Arms Raised” are obviously Christian, but feel uplifting nonetheless. With this release, CYE hadn’t quite found their sound yet, instead nervously hiding behind the more mature back of the likes of ADTR. Though they would grow on
Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts,
We Will Overcome shows a young band who hasn’t quite reached their full potential.
