Modern Life is WarYeah, so I'm a little late with this one but I just got it, and as they say, it's better late than never. By now, all of the chatter about this band has died down to a slight murmur, so what better time to do a review of this. Let me say, all of the praise, and accolades that they had received over the summer months was more than merited.
Their first full length "My Love, My Way," while a good album got lost in a sea of similar sounding releases. This time however, they have put together one of the most memorable albums to come out in recent memory. From the faint opening riff in "The Outsiders" that seems to swell and swell into a tidal wave of passion, to the heart pounding closing riff of "Hair Raising Accounts of Restless Ghosts," this album is relentless with its buildups. There are no floor moving breakdowns, no sing alongs, no two step parts, just riffs that build up until they can't build up any more and then they break off into the next song. I can't even compare them to another band, only a tidal wave. However, one thing that I kept thinking of when I was listening to this is how much the vocalist sounds like Karl from Earth Crisis, call me crazy but they sound almost identical. That and they have some moments where they remind me of Balboa, most notably in the song "John and Jimmy." I would say the strongest tie that have with hardcore is the vocals because other than that, they don't follow the hardcore formula, at all. The closest they come to traditional hardcore song structure is in the song "D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S.," which features some killer, catchy as fuck riffs with some jagged drumming, one of my personal favorites. Another one would have to be the song, "Marshalltown," which is about Jeff, the vocalist's hometown. This song really highlights his ability to paint a picture in your mind with his words. "...where the smoke from hell's exhaust pipe lingers above the cheap rent in the dark night." Oh and that closing to the song is the fucking truth, "And I say to all the young wild ones..for you...yeah on your way up...the world isn't against you, my dear, it doesn't care." This man can write his fucking ass off, this record features some of the best lines and lyrics I've heard, period. Fuck take the music away and the lyrics alone are worth it, thats how good they are. I can't even begin to explain how amazing the production on this is. Kurt Ballou has easily become one of my favorite producers. He's worked with bands of so many different styles, yet captures the essence of the each band's sound down to a t. The bass sounds so natural and warm, you can actually hear it through the distorted melodies of the guitar. The guitar has just the right amount of distortion and brightness to the tone. The drums are nice and dense, with just the right amount of reverb. The vocals are right there with the music, dialed in just right. Just as with any Deathwish release, Jacob Bannon sure didn't skimp on the layout and design of the record. Theirs great use of silver and dark blue metallic ink that just jumps off the pages. Oh, and the booklet is huge, sporting 24 pages with the first 23 pages featuring the lyrics done in an abstract hand written fashion, and just incase you couldn't decipher them on the final page, the lyrics are displayed in the more traditional linear note format. Really feeling it.
Rating: 5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S., Marshalltown, Martin Atchet
Thesis: I can see how this band has become a favorite of a lot of kids. Especially those stuck in rural areas because the vocalist conveys such adamant disdain for his bleak settings in Marshalltown, Iowa. This is original, passionate, and intelligent. The lovely packaging is just frosting on the cake. If you haven't picked this up by now, you sure as hell should.