Evergreen Terrace - Burned Alive By Time
The Players:
Andrew Carey (vocals)
Jason Southwell (bass)
Craig Chaney (guitar)
Christopher Brown (drums)
Joshua James (guitar)
Background Info:
Formed in Jacksonville Florida in 1999, Evergreen Terrace released their debut CD "Losing All Hope Is Freedom" on the underground
Indianola Records. Gaining a small fanbase, they released their
Eulogy Recordings debut "
Burned Alive By Time" to great praise from those who heard it. In 5 short years, they have released 5 CDs as well as a side-project full length, with a new full length CD and a DVD on the way.
Overview:
Evergreen Terrace is the band that introduced me to the Hardcore / Metalcore genre, and what an introduction it was! From the first track I was completely hooked.
Chris Brown relies on off-beats and irregular timings to achieve a very effective drumline through the entire CD. Josh and Craig churn out an interesting guitar sound....while one uses a deep punching "chugging" line, the other will layer it with a delay enhanced high pitched melody.
Andrew Carey releases from his small frame an unusual scream not heard much in music these days....normally it's either a sinister growl or a shrieking scream, but Andrew's voice falls somewhere calmly between the two. Backing vocals by Joshua (melodic singing) enhance the experience even moreso. Jason's use of the bass as a driving force is very welcome in a world where the bassline often consists of simplicity. The use of electronics and special effects as introductions to songs is present, but in such a minor force as to not take away from the music.
Track-by-Track:
Understanding The Fear That Lies Within
The first track on the CD blasts straight into it with a scream from Carey and blasting guitars bass and drums. No melodic opening, no rising swell, the music just blasts in and immediately catches your attention. The song changes abruptly many times, from an overdrive blast straight into an acoustic breakdown, back to heavy. An excellent beginning song that goes right into...
No Donnie, These Men Are Nihilist
"Pride Caused The Fall," Carey shouts out in time with the band. Easily their most popular song (and the song they close with live), this song is seething with energy and talent, clocking in at just over 2 minutes.
"When you're gone, no one will miss you. And when you're dead, no one will cry." The haunting interlude catches your attention every time and you just want to shout it out.
Burned Alive By Time
Opening up with a programmed eletronic drum beat (which they skip altogether live), the title track is another attention grabber. By this point in the CD you'll know wether you like the band or not. In the middle of the song, all other instruments cut out and the bass continues the riff. Afterwards all the instruments come back in and you notice how driving the bass is for the band as a whole, the sound is a lot more noticeable.
Dear Live Journal
Modem Noise opens the track with the all too familiar satellite tell-tale of a 56k modem. The chorus is one that's just meant for mic-grabbing opportunity live. The lyrics througout the song make one look at yourself and question if you're like the person they sing about, a sign of a great lyricist.
Funeral Grade Flowers
A powerful track with strong surging instrument line. This is probably one of my favorite songs from the CD with a very memorable hook that makes a great sing-along live.
"Waiting as I saw you fading.
Like everything in time you weathered and you died."
My Heart Beats In Breakdowns
Something about this song is very strong. The lyrics are sad, about loss and exiting from the pain.
"Trying hard to reach out and touch what's too far away.
Distance will be the death for me.
Replacement comes in the form of dreams."
Taking Care Of The Dead Fish
One of my personal favorites, this song is simply amazing. The hook towards the end is breath-taking as Carey first asks, begs, then screams out in desperation: "Did you forget something? You forgot to say goodbye!" The pain expressed in those two lines is clear, and anyone who was ever the victim of a failed relationship or a lost loved one will instantly recall those memories.
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Oh yes they did. They named a song after an MC Hammer CD. But of course, the song is another blasting epic with powerful breakdowns. In particular, the breakdown at the end of the song is extremely memorable.
Absence Of Purpose In The Succession Of Events
Upon the first listen, you wait every moment for the lyrics to kick in. It takes until it's over for you to realize it was an instrumental track. A Piano rings in the background, as the electric drums from the title track comeback to run throughout the song. Distorted sounds ring, and in the background it sounds like somebody is saying something, but I have yet to figure out what, if it's even a person.
Heavy Number One (AKA: Shizzle My Nizzle)
This is easily one of the heaviest songs on the CD, made even heavier from following right after the previous melodic instrumental track. As the CD draws to a close you realize that the 30 or so minutes are up and that sadly you have run out of Evergreen Terrace songs!
But after the song is over, the CD keeps counting off the time...
About 15 seconds later...
Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence
The secret track kicks in. After a few seconds, wether you know the name of the song or even who it's originally by, you recognize the chorus. Their cover of this song is simply amazing. Throw in a few breakdowns for flavor and change it around a little and you have another succesful cover by Evergreen Terrace (They covered "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 on their first CD, also a secret song)
SCORE : 4/5
If you like the Hardcore / Metalcore genre or are into either scene, this is a definite must buy. If you're unimpressed by the commercial bands in the genre, this may just change your mind and is worth a listen. If you despise the genre, there's a chance you'll like this more than most of the bands in the genre, but probably won't change your mind.
LINKS
[url]http://www.evergreenterracehc.com[/url] > Official Site
[url]http://listen.to/evergreenterrace[/url] > Old site, now has live pictures
[url]http://www.eulogyrecordings.com[/url] > Eulogy official site
[url]http://www.handofhoperecords.com[/url] > Hand Of Hope Records site
LISTEN TO...
http://www.handofhoperecords.com/sounds/et_-_NoDonnieTheseMenAreNihilist%20(live).mp3
(Live version of "No Donnie", taken from their latest CD, "At Our Worst")
[url]http://65.210.156.200/mp3/er051.et_smashpump_zero.mp3[/url]
(Cover of "Zero" by THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, taken from their B.A.B.T. follow-up, "Writer's Block".)
