It took me a little while to get used to these guys' mix of abrasive metalcore and poppy emo sensibilities that definitely reminds me of Glassjaw (though some far more mainstream acts that shall remain nameless also come to mind at times), but it's starting to grow on me. I definitely prefer the melodic chord progressions and singing vocals over the harsher screaming and more chaotic elements of the music, but they tend to balance things well enough to pull it off. Thankfully they keep the more rambunctious guitar work to a minimum, because that's definitely not their forte. The only problem I have with their variety is that it's consistent to the point where most of the songs sound very similar to one another. Every song has a pretty equal blend of styles and dynamics, so there's not a whole lot going on to differentiate one track from the next. The disc really doesn't pick up full force until the latter half, where "We Go to Eleven" and "The Shooting Star That Destroyed Us" are both a bit more straightforward and catchy than the other tracks, offering a significant back to back attack that stands out more so than anything else on the record. Similarly "Annunciate While You Masticate" is short and to the point: Probably the catchiest damn tune on the whole record. Great stuff there. The production was handled by Steve Evetts, so of course it's pretty strong, though admittedly it's not as full as his work often is. I feel that the vocals are too far out front, the drums are a bit overly rigid, and there's not enough low-end to the percussion (nor is the bass loud enough) to fill in the gaps left by the clear but rather dry guitar tone. Most of the tones are great, but the guitars fall too flat. I'd leave the bass as is, maybe turn it up a bit, and definitely add more crunch to some of those guitars and warm up the drums. Take care of that and drop those vocals back in with the instruments and this thing would sound like a million bucks. I really like the layout. Winning point #1: It's printed on matte paper. Bingo. But seriously, the imagery is really cool as well. There are lots of colors and layers of textures (anatomy illustrations, machine-like diagrams, etc.), I like the tiny band photos, and the arrangement of the lyrics is interesting as well... not to mention that the compact, precise typeface is really strong. Sadly the content of the lyrics does not at all match up to the layout's interesting juxtaposition of man and machine: "Now words are heard through my eyes, Can you see the fire that burns from my heart, this song is for you so perfect, I have made an attempt to have you... tonight I will sleep with the gun in my mouth, goodnight my love..." What's worse than the generic content is that they actually type "u" instead of "you" in most cases, which I refuse to replicate here because I will never in my life speak like an ebonic 10-year-old using Instant Messenger. I just refuse to do it. I'm sort of surprised to see this band on Ferret. I don't know... they're not bad at all, but this is pretty unoriginal material right now, and I feel like the band has a lot of growing to do before they really hit the nail on the head. Potential? Sure. But right now this isn't ringing any real bells with me. I wish they'd just focus on the strengths of the vocal harmonies and the basic, simple songwriting skills that they possess. Were you to take a handful of the best songs from this CD and throw 'em on an EP, you'd have a real fuckin' winner. There's just too much filler otherwise. I'd probably say that I expect big things from this band in the future, however.
[Ferret]
Running time - 40:32, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: We Go to Eleven, The Shooting Star That Destroyed Us, Annunciate While You Masticate]
Ferret Music - http://www.ferretstyle.com
