Scars of Tomorrow "Rope Tied to the Trigger" CD
[Victory]
Ahhh, here we go. Three records in and these cats finally nail it. Continuing in the general direction of their last record (chugging metalcore with vicious vocals and a good sense of melody) the songs here are more effectively constructed with a good balance of pummeling rhythms, melodic chord progressions, post hardcore textures, etc. And thankfully it's been produced by Kurt Ballou, so it sounds fucking great and pretty much obliterates their past work. The bass drums are a little bit rigid, but that's fine because the guitar tones are all massive and right up front. The bass could probably stand to have some more breathing room, but I'm not complaining. It sounds really nice. Writing wise, they'll occasionally drop a few note-based runs or something on the more discordant/caustic side, but they generally stick to thick chords shifting back and forth from chugging grooves to more melodic and layered passages. The vocals frequently jump from lower midrange sneers to spoken passages or slightly higher screaming, which is cool, but I do think the spoken vocals appear a little too often - they just don't always make sense, and they can break up the flow. This is nothing overly inventive or powerful, but it's definitely an enjoyable listen, and I do like the way they fluidly shift from stuttered rhythms to borderline "catchy" choruses without any major flaws. The songs that focus more on meshing sheer heaviness with intense melody are definitely the winners though, as the chorus from "Reflections" immediately jumps out at you, whereas the constantly driving pulses of "In Dying Days" keep things more aggressive but still stand apart. I really like the layout. The colors and textures are all cool, most of the imagery is really well handled, the typefaces are clean and interesting, etc. Lyrically, as expected, things are pretty bitter, but I would definitely say better than average. "You are a child born into a dead world of fairy tales you are consumed with a smirk you lather the anguish with a crooked smile..." Now, admittedly, the majority of these songs are very similar to one another, which gets a tad tiresome. However, I definitely respect the fact that each release from this band has been recognizably stronger than the one before it... and this is surely the start of a great new phase for the band. Good work. If you weren't quite won over by their last two discs, don't rule this one out without giving it a shot. (7/10)
Running time - 37:55, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Abandonment, As We Choke, Reflections, In Dying Days]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com

This review has been displayed 2360 times.