Hmmm, I thought this was going to be pretty good, but I'm not that into after all.? It sounds about like what I was expecting, which is to say that it's contemporary emo/alternative rock kind of stuff, and it's not that bad or anything, it just lacks energy and comes across as a little too plain.? There's not enough punch to the writing or performances, more specifically the tempos need to be changed up a bit more (i.e. get speedier in areas) and the singing could use more emphatic harmonies or a slight hint of increased vocal range.? There's a decent blend of midpaced distorted guitar work and lots of clean passages and such, but the drawn out tempos sort of lose steam when they build up in volume but never really increase in tempo, and these moderate tempos kind of lend this forced kind of emotion to the music, especially with all of the clean parts.? I don't know, I'm not at all saying the music sounds insincere, it just doesn't sound as natural or comfortable as it should, and therefore it doesn't move me or strike a nerve.? The acoustic guitars alongside the addition of string arrangements in "For the Night" make for a pretty convincing affair, one of my favorites in fact, but none of the other songs really stand apart to me.? Despite drawing from a range of influences (emo, indie rock, post-hardcore, hints of light metal, alternative rock, etc.) the song structures and arrangements are all really similar to one another and there's almost no significant variation from track to track.? "Celestial Horizon" is the only other song that sort of leaves a mark since the chorus seems to pop out more than elsewhere, but if it were a touch faster all around it would be more energetic and have much more immediate impact working in its favor, so while better, it does fall prey to some of the same shortcomings of the rest of the material.? The recording is also just a little too rugged to do them justice.? It's definitely listenable and were the songs stronger I'd be able to deal with the sound quality without a problem, it's just got a little bit of a dated roughness to it, sort of like a slightly dirtier version of old Sunny Day Real Estate or something.? It's nice and thick and there's a warmth to it, but it's not quite clear or polished enough, and a little buffing would really add some crispness to some of the guitar and vocal tones, which could make a huge difference - especially with regards to the singing.? The layout's pretty minimal but looks totally professional with a lot of great photography and clean designs that work well together.? The cover definitely looks awesome.? Lyrically the tracks are pretty open for interpretation and I could go either way on ?em.? They're not bad, but at the same time nothing grabs me: "Don't you ever want to go back down to where it's going to end and begin, the pilgrimage, I packed my bags, now gone for good, transparent to me, projected on the back of my mind."? I don't know, I feel bad giving this a 5/10 since the band obviously put some good effort into it and has some talent, but the music really is pretty boring to me.? I love the layout and they definitely present themselves well, and for a self-released debut this is a competent offering, but after repeated listens I'm just not that into the songs.? I'd suggest either a little more catchiness or a little more somber emotion, or both.? I can definitely get into the style they're hinting at when it's done right, and I think they're certainly capable of such, but this disc isn't hitting the mark for me.? Sorry.
[self-released]
Running time - 27:42, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: For the Night, Celestial Horizon]
Ahimsa Theory - http://www.ahimsatheory.com
