One Win ChoiceA couple years back I did a review for their split that came out on Eternal Hope Records with fellow Toms River, NJ natives Heartfelt Discord (click here to read the review!), and I got to say I'm glad to see that these guys are still at. Not much has changed since then, the band is still playing their same brand of melodic punk/hardcore.
This full length consists of 12 brand new songs delivered in the same manner as their previous recorded outputs. Like I mentioned in that previous review, these guys are able to deliver 3 minute plus songs without losing a drop of urgency. They do a great job of keeping the songs ripe with intensity and emotion, which is really highlighted by the vocals of Dan. I got to say, since my first introduction to these guys, not only has Dan grown on me but he has grown as a vocalist as well. He isn't the greatest singer, or even screamer for that matter but it's something within his delivery that gets me; it seems truly passionate and there is an urgency there that seems to be lacking from his peers.
The thing that pushes these guys past much of their peers are the lyrics. The songs all revolve around a central theme of being a socially conscious individual who refuses to be force feed lies and deceit, which could easily become redundant and trite, but not so. I actually like how the album stays on point and sticks to the theme of "Never Suspend(ing) Disbelief", never accept, always question, no matter what.
The album was recorded at Clay Creek Studios with Nick Rotundo, and everything sounds pretty fucking solid. The one thing that really stood out to me was the great bass tone, it has a perfect amount of presence and a nice tone that is comprised of twang and treble, but not lacking on the low end. Another thing that jumped out at me was the vocals, the placement is just perfect. The guitar tone has just enough distortion, which allows ample room for the bass to breath. And the drums sound powerful, with a very nice snare tone.
Jumpstart Records went all out for these guys with a very sweet 6 page layout. The front cover has a cool photoshopped image of a power plant with some good looking contrast work going on. The first two pages of the booklet are used to give an introduction to the album and it's lyrical theme with a very cool looking city skyline getting twirled around. From there, the rest of the booklet is used to display the lyrics to the songs with various images of the band and other illustrations that are done behind sleek contrast work.
Rating: 3.6/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: One More Fight & Bury Them
Synopsis: Sure, musically it's not anything that hasn't been done before, the chords have been played countless times. The vocal delivery sure isn't anything new, neither are the words in the lyrics, but it's the way they are delivered that counts. I can easily appreciate a band that stands behind their convictions. Much love for One Win Choice.