Review Summary: Nicholas Matthews has returned for Get Scared's hard-hitting sophmore effort and he wants you to know it.
With Everyone's Out To Get Me, Nicholas Matthews returns to Get Scared guns blazing. The album is a bit of departure from previous efforts such as Best Kind of Mess and Built for Blame, Laced with Shame and sees the band moving into a more post-hardcore sound with a touch of alt-metal thrown in. And they do it incredibly well.
The second the vocals on "Told Ya So" kick in, Nicholas Matthews reminds us what he's capable of with vastly improved vocals over those from Best Kind of Mess and Cheap Tricks and Theatrics. But it isn't just Matthews that makes this track; guitarists Johnny B(raddock) and newcomer Adam Virostko, bassist Bradley "Lloyd" Iverson and drummer Dan Juarez are an equally important part of making Get Scared the talented unit they are today. "For You", co-written by infamous Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke is one of the better things Radke has done since his Escape the Fate departure and prison stint (and its actually quite shocking that they decided to work with him despite comments made two years prior to the album's release about Matthews' depression) and features an excellent piano solo showing that Get Scared isn't afraid to experiment, something they show off in the latter half of the album. "Badly Broken" is a lighter track more reminiscient of Best Kind of Mess than the prior three tracks dealing with a break-up that is quite hard on the narrator. Lead single "At My Worst" deals with Matthews' suicide attempt two years prior and is one of the most emotional tracks on the album and an excellent choice for a lead single. The second half is a bit more experimental. "Us In Motion" is probably the most underrated track in the post-hardcore genre featuring a more pop punk/post-hardcore fusion sound not unlike that of A Day To Remember or Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! (minus the screaming). "Stumbling In Your Footsteps" is a ballad track and is probably the softest song in Get Scared's discography. It is also quite an emotional track dealing with the narrator losing a friend, a subject that hits close to home for me as of this writing. You can really hear the emotion in Matthews' voice in this one and is a nice respite, sound-wise, from the rest of the album's mostly angsty and depressive sound. Album closer "When We Were Strong" is a nice end to the album which features a nice touch of gang vocals along with an excellent screamed bridge.
Throughout the album, Matthews relies more on clean singing than screaming for the majority of tracks ("Told Ya So" and the bridges of "My Nightmare" and "When We Were Strong" being exceptions). The music itself possesses an extreme alt-metal influence, with the exceptions being "Us In Motion" and "Stumbling In Your Footsteps". Johnny B and Adam Virostko are excellent guitar players while Dan Juarez's drumming makes it all the more better. Lloyd Iverson's bass is drowned out for the most part but when its heard its a nice touch to Johnny and Adam's guitars, Dan's drums and Nick's vocals. Its an excellent sophmore effort and it shows that the band aren't the Used fanboys that people thought they were during the Best Kind of Mess/Cheap Tricks and Theatrics days.
Pros:
-Excellent musicianship
-Nicholas Matthews' vocals
-Experimentation in the second half
Cons:
-Bass is drowned out
Highlights: Told Ya So, Us In Motion, Stumbling In Your Footsteps, When We Were Strong
