BombshellSo this is what Underoath would've sounded like if they were from the upstate parts of South Carolina. Perhaps that is being a tad generous, because as bad as Underoath is, these guys are even worse, and far more generic and boring.
Apparently, these guys don't want to categorized as screamo or emo, or even pop punk for that matter, they just want to be called good music. Well, sorry to break it you fellas, but when you take the staples of the aforementioned genres it's not hard to pigeonhole you. I mean there's everything from the sing/scream vocals, a shit load of harmonies and melodies, a synthesizer which shows their admiration of Underoath, and the cliche songs about heartbreak and anguish. Don't even get me started on the lyrics, they are as bad and generic as they come, even for this type of music.
The production is sadly, the strongest aspect of this release. The guitars have a good mix of crunch for the breakdowns and heavier sections, and clean tone for the clarity in the layered melodic sections. The drums sound good and dense, and the bass has a good warm tone with just enough presence to be effective. Even the synthesizer sounds good, it was wisely mixed in the background. And even though I couldn't stand the vocals, I will say they were mixed nicely into the mix. Pretty good.
The cover art features four guys in suit and ties waking through a street, what this has to do with the album or band I have no idea, and for whatever reason, Caleb from Bootcore Grafix felt that honeycombs and vertical streaks would be a good idea to use as a contrast. And then there's the terribly bad picture on the back of the booklet. God damn if these guys aren't some of the most prepped out jerks I've seen. These guys are trying harder than a bunch of skinny white kids from the suburbs wearing state property and fitteds that are 4 sizes too big for the dome. Not Feeling it all.
Rating: 0.5/5
Songs worthy of replay: Friday Nights Disaster
Thesis: Boring and generic screamo/emo that is heavily influenced by Underoath. Lyrics? Crappy and boring.