Foreknown "Calm Seas Don't Make Sailors" CD
[Blood & Ink]
For the most part this is typical melodic Swedish death metalcore, but I will admit that despite being heavily unoriginal this band is much more competent than most.  They make slightly more efficient use of the chunkier rhythms and don't hit on much that comes off in the vein of over the top breakdown mosh parts, their tremolo picking runs harness a little more energy than usual, and I like some of the dual guitar harmonies as well.  More promising still are the melodic chord progressions and layered dual guitar parts that have much less to do with that whole Swedish style, as seen most notably in "This Ain't No Summer Vacation", because that stuff can get a little more energetic and it just feels more substantial to me.  The Swedish thing is just too damn overdone right now.  Here the harsh vocal screams and dominant Swedish fare draw some comparisons to a less directly metal Darkest Hour, who I like, but that doesn't change the fact that I'd prefer to hear the band take their other influences farther.  I'm not sure how I feel about the inclusion of singing vocals on occasion.  It works out alright and could add to the songs, but I don't feel like they're fully exploring that aspect of their writing at this point in time; and the same goes for the synths and vocal effects (With drum programming, maybe?) in the odd little interlude "Speechless".  Though the bulk of the track does little for me I will say that the dissonant midpaced chords in "Lessons in Manhood" are pretty damn cool, and though too Maiden-esque the dual guitar leads that fade out the track aren't half bad either.  Poor title and forced metal riffs aside, "No Guns, No Roses, Just Axl" has a nice little clean break with spoken vocals, and I'm surprised they haven't thrown more of that stuff around in these songs for added variety.  I think the sound quality is pretty solid as well.  The drums do sound too rigid and lack the natural resonance that I prefer, but the mix holds most of that in check and the snare sounds good if nothing else.  But the guitar tone is pretty damn good and the vocals sound great for what they offer.  I'm not making out much of a distinct bass presence at all, but I don't feel like that makes much difference here.  Overall it sounds better than average for sure.  The artwork is actually pretty nice on this thing and somehow catches my eye, but the super scripted font and the way the lyrics are laid over illustrations of withered and worn paper is cheesy as fuck and annoying on the eyes.  Most of the lyrics are sappy personal junk that kind of makes me gag, notably the references to "autumn leaves" which "float and flutter" and the one super overt christian track that mentions "lifting the name of Christ".  No thanks.  I'd definitely like to see them get more creative with the lyrics and the song titles, because a lot of the music has more substance than the kind of stuff that's associated with that whole sarcastic-song-titles-that-don't-apply-to-the-content thing.  I might be going slightly easy on them in some regards, but possessing tighter performances (granted there are some slipups) and a stronger recording than a lot of comparable bands at their level does count for something in my eyes.  Especially since the songwriting's on the right track, too.  A lack of creativity is the main setback for these kids, so they've got something to work with here.  Honestly the thick melodic chords and persistent rhythm in brief intro "In the Beginning" had me expecting this to be slightly better than it is, so if the band makes better use of what's at their disposal it could get interesting.  I'm sure the general fanbase for this style will already be pretty into this, though. (6/10)
Running time - 33:45, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: In the Beginning, This Ain't No Summer Vacation]
Blood & Ink Records - http://www.bloodandinkrecords.com

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