Seemless "s/t" CD
[Equal Vision]
Okay, so... this band features former members of Overcast (guitarist Pete Cortese), Shadows Fall (drummer Derek Kerswill), and Killswitch Engage (vocalist Jesse David), among others. All awesome bands. So, this should be a totally killer record, right? Well, that's debatable. You'd think so, but in my opinion... no, that's not true at all. I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect something heavy and in your face like their past bands, but I'm also not at all surprised that they're all heading down a very different road these days. After a dark and promising instrumental intro, things becoming immediately evident as midpaced grunge rock. No shit. Overproduced sludgy guitars, moderate tempos with thick power chord rhythms and hints of southern rock twang to some of the rock-based riffing, majorly bluesy lead runs, and generally subdued singing with a faintly bluesy edge and a few sparse leans towards screaming. The vocal performance alone is a massive letdown compared to David's dynamic past. Sure, he's obviously still a very good singer, and this vocal style does fit the music (which admittedly gives him little to work with - more on that later), but... the vocal harmonies are quite infrequent and not very prominent, and he has far more talent and range than that exemplified on this outing. I think the music is bland as well though, and it's not really fair to expect exciting and dynamic vocals over music that's kind of boring in and of itself. It's not terrible, mind you, I can listen to this and I'm not turned away from it, but... it's certainly not very gripping. I mean, "The Crisis" is shorter and more rocked out, but it just doesn't sound right... it goes from generic to forced, and kind of reminds me of Soil or something, with only the chorus jumping out as fairly effective. "War/Peace" is another so-so rock track that drags on for almost six minutes with too much repetition and typical riffing that doesn't really possess much oomph; and the pull-off runs and overly fuzzy guitar tone in "In This Life" are borderline painful. Sometimes the material comes off like a second-rate Down on a musical level, but... something about it just doesn't feel as natural or comfortable, I don't know. Most of the songs simply aren't memorable. But I guess there are some good songs, too. "Soft Spoken Sanity" is catchier and makes better use of fuzzed out guitar tones and thick midpaced riffing with a little more of a slow drag to the tempo and added dissonance to the chord phrasings; and "Endless" opens with lush clean guitars and kind of plods along without much force, eventually opening up into a louder and more moving passage with a really nice vocal performance that brings in backup harmonies for added impact... so it's kind of a 50/50 composition overall. Instrumental "All is Not Lost" uses acoustic guitars and creates a somber atmosphere that sadly ends all too soon at less than two minutes, as I think that darker side is something the band needs to achieve much more of a balance with. And, in large part, the production is admittedly very nice. It's warm and natural with a clear mix that certainly doesn't lack density. The drums sound awesome, as does the vocal character, but I think the bass needs a touch more definition and I'm torn on the guitar tones. The solos all sound perfect for what they're going for, but the general rhythm guitar tone is too overproduced and kind of has that churning fallout to it that deadens a little bit of the sustain and grit, you know? Heavy, sure... but a little over the top for that perfect niche is all. Overall they've achieved an effective sound though, I'm not complaining there. Visually everything maintains a consistent aesthetic, using a stripped down color scheme of green-ish browns and geometric patterns or grimy textures. Everything is printed on matte paper for added effect, sans the slipcase that wraps around the case, which has more of a sheen to it. The lyrics can be hard to read over the backgrounds but the content seems to be a mix of the personal and the political, but the political insinuations are always coming from more of a personal bent as well. "No one knows what lies in the heart of man. No one has the answers to the questions that we have. As we continue down the road less traveled on. I'll see you on the other side... the lines are drawn..." I don't know, I had much higher hopes for this, so maybe that's why I'm being a little hard on it. It's a half decent record... I wouldn't buy it, but I can listen to it. It's not great though, and 50 minutes is a too damn long for this less than varied effort. Fans of the band's past work need not apply unless they're either very open-minded or really into grungy rock music. I know I'm not exactly the most open-minded dude in the world, but I do listen to a lot of different shit, and I like this kind of stuff when it's done right, but... this one's not catching me in large part. Sorry. (6/10)
Running time - 49:26, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Intro, Soft Spoken Sanity, Endless, All is Not Lost]
Equal Vision Records - http://www.equalvision.com

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