Soul ControlI was happy to see this turn up in the mail after my recent encounter with the band's self titled 7", which I also reviewed. Considering most people won't buy a 7" unless they are collectors it seems, this will likely be the first release many people will give a chance. A blessing for those who have yet to experience what these guys have to offer, but a bit of a let down you could say for the people who are already familiar with these guys because this album only contains 5 new songs, while the rest of the songs were collected from the band's split with I Rise and their original 4-song demo (which have since been recorded).
Heavily influenced by the likes of Quicksand, Burn, 108, Bad Brains, Into Another, and Bane but these guys are far from imitators. While you can hear the influences creep in, they create their own sound by blending together some of the best aspects each of the aforementioned bands have to offer. You have the Burn influenced arpeggio runs, as well as vocals that could easily be compared to Burn, the frenzied, melodic breaks of Quicksand, the curveballs of 108 all while keeping things varied by changing up tempos and song formulas.
Lyrically, as was prevalent on their previous releases, the band does not adopt the traditional fodder that is featured on the bulk of hardcore albums. The lyrics are definitely on the philosophical side, telling the listener to look inwards before outwards, to dig deep down within to find yourself. This is far from mindless lyrics, I mean just check out the lyrics to "Self Delusion":
"Can you watch your fear grow? An inextinguishable belief upon past life. Or will you become so attached to the one you perceive that will cause you to grow-but will not love you back. So you bury yourself. So obsessed, so depressed with success, and never have the time you'll need to take what's left. To compare ourselves–Is there no shame? No shame in infliction of mass pain and guilt. Guilt is just the sign to justificate and condemnate. The violence, anger and fear: is this the ideal or just the actual? Addicted to the fear of growing old. Addicted to the present moment as my passions explode. Addicted to another's mind-body control. You've got a mind? I've got a mind of my own. So I'll explore all the reasons why this world-it moves, it only moves in reverse surroundings that manipulate our lives. So I'll keep one eye on the self, and the other on what drives. This is my life, I must expose myself to myself."
Considering that this full length is comprised of songs recorded at various times you'd assume that their would be some discrepancies in the sound/tones from one song to the next, well luckily you don't have to worry about that, unless you're an audiophile with some dog ears. Usually the first thing I listen for is the tone of the bass and I'm happy to report the bass tone on here is stellar, it has good presence and a wonderful well-rounded tone. Upon my first couple of listens, I thought that the guitar tone was a bit thin but I've rescinded those thoughts after a few follow up listens. It works nicely with the tone of the bass and really allows those arpeggios and picking patterns to stand out, it's a very "clean" tone. The drum tone sounds very fluid, the snare has great volume and the kick powers through the mix. The vocals have very good placement and the level is where you'd like.
The layout is centered around an eerie painting that was done by Ricky Vespia. It shows the same child's face painted together with slightly different facial expressions. It kind of sticks to the layout theme of their self titled 7" with the repeated images. The glossy booklet is three panels and effectively displays the lyrics over a contrasted red/orange background that features various live photos by Todd Pollock.
Rating: 3.8/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Touched By Fire, Fear and Freedom, Self Delusion and On Survival
Synopsis: As I said in my last review, I can see these guys getting big within the hardcore scene. While you may think they are simply emulating a style of the 90's, they are breathing new and fresh life into a brand of hardcore that has been relatively untouched when you think about all the youth crew revival bands. If you haven't checked this guys out, this album is the perfect opportunity to. Check out the band's MySpace page to listen to some songs and if you like you what you hear, head over to Rivalry and make the purchase.
Soul Control
Rivalry Records Website