Review Summary: For fans of The Hamster Dance
Following A Skylit Drive going on hiatus, vocalist Michael Jagmin (Jag) teamed up with Jonathan Kintz to form Signals. With no intention of a heavy touring cycle, the record dropped with no more than a hush. The 13 tracks were produced by Jimmy Alexander and distributed through SBG records. The final product is a fairly typical Popcore album.
Musically this is a solid offering for fans of the genre (Wait...is Popcore a real genre)? There are heavy doses of Pop-Punk guitars with just enough melodic focus to keep things pleasant. Double kick assaults bring that metalcore edge, while the occasional screamed vocal adds some intensity. "Kirkhaven" could be called Swancore esque, and the addition of post production fills out the soundscape with strings and such. Some tight songwriting is on display, disregarding a few too many "epic" bridge sections that fall flat. Yeppers, a solid ole album she is.
Alright time for brass tacks. The record has one major obstacle, and that is Jag. His vocals are incredibly annoying. High pitched whiney singing is truly a matter of taste, but what may behoove the listener is a constant straining and yelping. At times the vocal tone comes across alien. That isn't to say there are not some strong vocal melodies underneath. "The New American Religion" has a fantastic chorus. "The Vulture" manages to make it's cheese catchy enough to save face. "The Mickey Mouse Drug House" even delivers on the larger than life atmosphere the majority of songs are aiming for. Hell, there is even some powerful belting.Yet with every impressive upper note, one has to remind themself that this is not an actual baby lamenting over palm muted riffs.
If you're a fan of A Skylit Drive this could be a decent addition to your playlist. Having a strong tolerance for goofy vocals helps. If you're not a fan or are unfamiliar with the aforementioned genres, best to stay away. I mean unless you're feeling risky. Also the intro track is a waste of time. It doesn't even transition well into the second song. Oh and what's up with the album title? "Death In Divide" is like some word generator s**t. Okay I'm just being petty now, review over.
