[avatar =”James” size=”50″ align=”left” /]Most the people in this band are from a metalcore band, a famous one. Things went a bit pear-shaped with their singer and they as such formed this band. This band is not like the previous, it doesn’t have any harsh vocals for a start. It’s kind of similar musically, but that’s because the musicians from the old band are in it.
Production wise, it is modern sounding and has a slightly distorted sound to everything. This makes it sound a little angrier and in your face than the lyrics are. You can hear everything as well, kudos to the mixing engineer for that.
Starting with a synth and a piano, the song “Foreward” provides a suitable introduction to the album. It’s almost a common occurrence to have a building style opening track on albums like these, however there are certain albums such as Abysmal Dawn’s newest (Review coming soon!) that are balls to the wall from the outset.
Opening with the overdriven guitars and kicking things up a gear is the song “All rise”. Bringing in the clean vocals, which are really clear, it creates a somewhat reflective atmosphere, amidst customary “oohs” and harmony filled choruses. Featuring a simplistic but fitting guitar solo at the 2:37 mark, it’s a good song overall.
“Death to Rights” comes in with a building guitar and drum part, before changing into a groove style section. It’s certainly one that would be good to hear live, maybe as the second song after the opener. Having a similar duet style chorus to the previous song, it’s a bit sparser than the previous but has a much more active drum part.
Opening with a killer guitar riff is the track “Tempest”. A driving section opens with quick guitar solo before slowing down to a bass and drum section. Calming to a singular guitar and vocal at around 2:33, it makes a stark change from the rest of the song before kicking into a melodic guitar solo and finishing off the track.
A similar style of building guitar and drum part opens “The Mason”, before changing into a more melodic style song. Featuring a more up beat and complex drum part makes for a nice change and the dual guitar riff after the main chorus’ (2:02 first heard) is one the best riffs on the album.
“Moving Up” then plays and we’re treated to a key change. There’s parts where it seems that the vocalist is straining slightly, but it’s not too noticeable. Maybe ‘moving down’ a semi-tone or two might have helped, but it’s still a good song.
Opening with a synth before a nice flowing guitar riff, the song “Sight of Shore” then plays. Being in the usual key, instead of the one previous, it features a nice riff at the end of the chorus’ and makes for a nice listen, but it’s not really got anything special other than the flowing guitar riff at the start.
“Father/Son” starts with an acoustic guitar and is nearly fully acoustic up until the 2:24 mark. Having a series of tom fills every now and again before the overdriven guitars come in, it makes for a nice change from the rest of the album. Finishing as it started, it adds a bit of variety that is nice in an album, which has a lot of similar sounding tracks.
Opening with a clean guitar, before kicking into overdrive is the song “Profane”. Being one of the more standout tracks on the album, it once again features a more complex drum part and features tremolo picked guitars along with a shout based chorus. It’s definitely a standout track on the album and is an enjoyable listen.
Opening with a quick snare drum fill is the song “Archers”. Featuring one the best choruses one the album, it’s simple yet effect and makes you want to sing along. It also features some scream style vocals, which add to the track no-end. It’s also one the quickest tracks on the album, which makes for a nice change from the overall mid paced feel of the album.
“Ruined Ends” plays next and comes in all guns blazing before winding things back substantially around 30 seconds in. It’s one of the more laid-back songs on the album but it still features a driving drum part. The guitars are slower and are more melodic than one the previous track.
“Identity” is a bit of an odd ball for me. The opening reminds me of a part from the song “Parallels” by the band from which some of the guys come from. It’s like one of their songs, but slowed down and without and harsh vocals. It’s confusing, but it also works.
Changing tone and speed is the song “Matter of Time”. Sounding a lot more distressed than other songs, it’s also one of the quicker songs on the album. Featuring shredding but melodic guitars, it’s a bit like “Profane” in of speed and having shouts in places (around 2:08).
A song similar to “Father/Son” then plays. The opening part is almost a carbon copy of it, albeit in a different key. Featuring acoustics guitars and duet vocals in parts. Coming with the distorted guitars and full kit at 1:31 it completely changes tone and makes it one of the standout tracks for being a bit different.
Finishing the album is the song “Onward”. Similar in style and instrumentation to the opening track, it provides a suitable ending to the album. There’s not really a lot to say about this track, it’s short, simple and it fits.
I’ve been a bit hesitant in writing this review. I didn’t want to dwell too much on the issues surrounding the previous band and was also at a loss as to what to make of the album. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a good album. I just feel as though it could have been so much more.
I kind of recommend this album for fans of hard rock and the tamer end of metal. I can’t say whether you’ll be disappointed or not – I’m sad to say that I was.
[wovenwar]
