maybe the unsung hero of the entirety of 2021. I struggled with Revival ultimately rating it higher than it should be just because I still like that Howard is around doing vocals, but despite the most formulaic track times you can imagine for metalcore (every song is between 3:06 and 3:46 except the final) with a few tracks having identical track lengths, the songs come and go with plenty of decent flow. The album is ridiculously strong for the first seven tracks, and then it finally starts to wane after that, but the opening three tracks, as well as 'Living with a Ghost', and most importantly 'Death of Me' are wonderful in my opinion, with the latter especially feeling of that heartsick emotion we haven't heard so good since this side of Arms of Sorrow that I'd like to even call it a spiritual successor. It finally seems as if Howard has fully been fitted into the right shoes since his time after KSE II. I forgive the album's weaker second half, as the strengths of this record should at least be given more of a spotlight.
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