Killing The DreamSometime back I gave these guys a review for their last album, "In Place, Apart" and I wasn't too impressed with what I heard back and then and even before that. These guys were a decent listen but nothing that ever got replay from me.
Well, for many this has been one of the most anticipated releases of 2008, and I still don't quite get all the hype surrounding these guys. I suppose that is the main reason I held up on writing this thing up. I mean fuck, this thing should've been reviewed over a month ago but because after each listen I would seem to come away with a different opinion so I wanted to let everything soak in before I passed judgement.
With having said that, I liked this more than I thought I would. However, I still don't think these guys are as great as they are hyped up to be. Yes, the addition of two new guitarists has infused some new life into the band. Yes, they have experimented a bit more, become even more moody with their melody and dare I say darker but at the end of the day this is just another average melodic hardcore release no matter what anyone says. I am well aware these guys have great influences like Unbroken that creeps into their song writing but there are tons of other bands that do that as well.
And let me say, I do enjoy the music. It is something that I enjoy if it comes on but it isn't good enough for me to want to pick it out and put it on. The biggest weakness of this release were the lyrics. I find it almost amusing that so many people are enamored with the lyrical themes. Too much pining over a girl for my liking and too many references to his lyric writing within the lyrics.
One thing these guys drastically improved upon from their previous releases is the recording. This thing sounds polished as hell. I like the tone of all the instruments and how they were all mixed together but I do think there were too many production tricks though.
Most won't be surprised by this but I am not too into this layout. Again, it is too much of the same from J. Bannon (if he reads my reviews he probably hates me haha). Like "In Places, Apart", and many other Deathwish releases the layout is printed on matte stock, which I have no problem with but there's dandelions and a girl with a bunch of contrast stuff. Ehhhhh.
Rating: 3.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: "Thirty Four Seconds" & "Holding The Claws"
Synopsis: Good album, just doesn't live up to the "hype". It's like going to see a movie that is hyped up as being the next big thing and it doesn't even come close to meeting expectations. On the other hand when you go to see a movie that flies under the radar and ends up being awesome it's a pleasant surprise rather than a letdown. But hey, there are plenty of people that will eat this up.
Cast your own judgement because sometimes us ‘music critics' have different opinions than you and at the end of the day it's your opinion that matters most.