Bloodlined CalligraphyIt says on the press sheet that these guys are from Detriot but I'd guess that "Ypsilanti" is the band's actual hometown. Ypsilanti is a town in Michigan that was named after Demetrius Ypsilanti, a hero in the Greek war for independence. Anyhow, these guys have been around for a few years and have released an EP and a full length titled "They Want You Silent" prior to releasing this album.
Musically, "Ypsilanti" is pretty much no different than any other metalcore release. Yes, it has subtle nods to the roots of hardcore via gang chants and some hardcore-esque breaks but this is far from a hardcore album. The songs vary in duration though out this 11 song offering, some are close to 5 minutes while others struggle to get to the 2 minute mark.
Usually when a metalcore band has a female fronting the band it sadly comes off terribly gimmicky or the girl really cannot scream for the life of her or that shit is mind numbingly monotonous. I got to say though, Ally French really can hold her own as a vocalist, genders aside. Shit at first if you don't pay attention you can't even tell it's a girl until her little singing part in "From Here On Out". Her voice is remarkably deep and extremely visceral without becoming monotonous in the least.
Considering this album was released by Facedown I'm surprised to see that their isn't really any Christian preaching. I mean there are hints here and there but it's far from shoving it down the listeners throat, which I can appreciate. The lyrics are handled by pretty much everyone in the band, which is nice because you get various perspectives on topics. Amidst all of the bleakness on the surface of the lyrics there is a silver lining of hope. Not too bad actually.
This album was recorded at a place I'm not familiar with (Cathouse Studios in South Dakota), but it sounds solid. The drums are deep and dense as shit. The guitar tone is monstrous, nice and thick for those jarring breakdowns although I wish they used more of the bar like they did in end of "They Want You Silent" The bass tone is full sounding and rounds of the mix nicely, especially in the song "It Can't Rain All The Time". The vocals sound spot on, nothing to complain about there.
This layout was also done by Dave Quiggle (Shockwave). It isn't bad but it is a bit cliche but I do like the orange color that is used throughout the bulk of the layout. The front cover shows a man with a smug covered face standing in front of an intersection in what I'd assume is somewhere in Ypsilanti, holding a bomb with the bands name and album title displayed on it. The inside of the booklet is pretty solid, it showcases all of the lyrics on yellow papal looking paper besides an image of destruction caused by the "bomb". The in memory of for the drummers father was a nice piece.
Rating: 3/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: They Want You Silent and From Here On Out
Thesis: This wasn't bad, it's got its moments but this album sounds extremely forgettable. I've heard the riffs on this record it seems a hundred times over.