Since RememberedFrom what I've gathered these guys have been around for 10 years, 8 of those years were spent in vain with the band's first stint writing progressive 80's styled hardcore with use of melody until 2004 when the band decided to regroup themselves and decided to start a more traditional hardcore act. During that time they went on to record a five song EP. Later in 2005, band member Danny moved to North Carolina to join the rest of the band to put the finishing touches on "Coming Alive."
The music is pretty straight forward, and showcases their love for the old school stuff with some slight use of melody here and there. The songs usually stick to the 1:30-2 minute mark, and for the most part adhere to the formula laid down by countless bands before them. Nothing new or fresh but if you like stuff like Gorilla Biscuits, Chain of Strength, Insted, etc., you'll probably enjoy these guys.
I don't know how the hell a dude in his 20's with some tattoos can sound like he hasn't escaped puberty yet. I guess he's going for the whole GB "Start Today" sound, but that only works when you are actually going through puberty. And something about his delivery wasn't sitting well with me. It seemed like he was hesitating a little bit, and wasn't "nailing" the songs with authority.
I always like it when a Christian band (Now I'm assuming this because of the label) doesn't preach religious doctrine to me in their songs. So I like that, but other than that the lyrics really don't do it for me. They seem like they were forced almost. They deal too much with jaded girls and the such, and most of the other songs deal with themes that are all too common for this genre. You know the story, songs about sticking it out in the scene and sincerity, etc,. If you're going to use themes that have been done to death you have to put enough of your own perspective on it to make it stick out from the thousands of other bands. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.
For whatever reason the production wasn't doing it for me. The recording falls on the thin side of things, not really allowing the songs to take off. Considering these guys have two guitarists you sure as hell wouldn't be able to tell by the recording. The vocals seemed to overpower the instruments too much and the drums seemed really distant in parts of the album and I wasn't too keen on the snare sound. The bass tone is probably the strongest point of the recording but even that would benefit from a more full, well rounded recording.
How's the layout you ask? Not too shabby. Nothing crazy or anything like that, just a minimal approach that works for a band that writes simple hardcore tunes. The guys are showing their state pride with the Carolina blue used throughout the majority of the layout. The cover has the band's name in plain white text with an old man in a suit on the edge, with an article clipping beneath him, with some contrast stuff going on. Inside you get all of the lyrics displayed in an easy to read format with some light use of black contrast. There are however a few typos in the lyrics, but shit happens right? The live photos and flier pictures that were placed in a collage fashion in between the lyrics and thank you page was a nice touch. Simple images, simple fonts, and only three colors used, but it looks good and serves it's purpose.
Rating: 2.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Coming Alive, Hero of the Day
Thesis: Not bad, but nothing that I haven't already heard. The band didn't execute as much as I would've liked to see either. Between the sub-par recording, the trite lyrics, and the at times awkward vocal delivery, this one makes for pretty boring listen. But I will say, it's a step up from many of the other releases Blood and Ink has put out as of late.