The Takeover "Everyone for Themselves" CD
[Stillborn]
Here's some metalcore from Virginia that offers a nice change of pace from most of what's out there right now. There's a good mix of both metal and hardcore, there's no melodic Swedish death metal crap, and it's not overly redundant chugga chugga mosh crap either. The vocals are forceful shouts that have some nice texture to them, and the writing uses a lot of emphasis on rhythm with some dissonant chord progressions and a slight dash of subtle melody on occasion - notably in tracks like "No Fire Burns Forever". Most of the tempos hang around the midpaced range, but the songs are so short (almost all less than two minutes) that it doesn't feel like the same thing over and over. There's definitely a bit of a groove thing happening, but it's in more of a tactful Helmet-esque sort of way than it is an overproduced bad 90's metal way, and the drumming is fucking awesome so the constant barrage of fills keep things flowing rather than stagnating (see "Trapped Excuse" especially). The recording isn't bad but it's too muddy/oddly muffled (in some ways) to really do them justice, but the mix is fairly even and it's heavy, so I can deal with it. I love the rhythm section. The drums sound pretty full, the bass is always thudding away in the center, etc. The vocals probably have the best sound of anything, as they cover a good range of tones and are slightly brighter than the instruments (except for the cymbals and the snare). The guitars are okay, but something's off. I can't put my finger on it, I don't really know what the overall problem is. There's just this weird sort of muddiness laying around somewhere... they need a bit more clarity, an extra kick to really leave a mark. The layout looks nice. It's simple, clean, and effective. I can't really tell what the imagery is on the outer (color) covers, but it looks consistent and there's some handwriting faded into it, which is a nice touch. Inside is straight black text over a white background with the band logo reappearing in gray. The lyrics are fairly brief and strictly personal, "It takes a lot, Losing everything, Before you lose yourself, And it takes a lot, To grow up, No one there for you, Pushed in the dark, Suffocating in silence, Feeling Lost, But now there's nothing you can't take..." This is promising material. An EP seems like a great format for this band, because it's not boring and you get a good idea of where they're coming from. I'll just be curious to see where they take it next. (7/10)
Running time - 12:55, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: No Fire Burns Forever, Frozen Mazes Form, Trapped Excuse]
Stillborn Records - http://www.stillbornrecords.com

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