Well, well... lineup changes have apparently done this band some good.? Their first full-length was a mediocre affair of generic metalcore with plenty of melodic Swedish bullshit and chaotic riffing galore, and I didn't care for it.? This time out they're still fairly unoriginal, but they've got a new vocalist and their style is much more geared towards burly metallic hardcore that's still heavy on the metal.? There are still some Swedish trappings here and there, but most of it's a little thrashier, and the focus is definitely on chugging power chords and 90's European styled metalcore riffing.? Most of the vocals are strained screams with some growls on occasion, and they sound a little too forced at times, but I'm not really bothered by that at all.? They're marketed pretty heavily as a "female fronted metalcore band", and true, that they are, but I don't think that's so much of an issue here.? Most of the songs are pretty consistent with one another, while some do favor the metallic side and others hit on more of straightforward hardcore vibe, at times using fast melodic chords and in other instances tossing in some dissonance staccato stuff or mosh breaks.? "Saturday Night in Dixie" drops a sludgy rock thing out of nowhere, which is something they flirted with on their debut as well, but in this instance I don't think it makes any sense as this is the only track that even comes close to that kind of influence.? "Know When to Fold ?Em" features guest vocals from Candace Kucsulain (Walls of Jericho) but I doubt you could point ?em out, because I sure can't tell, so the two must sound incredibly similar to one another.? Opener "Shall We Dance" is the simplest and most straightforward classically oriented metallic hardcore song herein and it's also the best song by far: Just no nonsense mosh and lightly metal tinged riffing that keeps it to the point.? It's a plus that the songs are all damn short, so they don't allow any time for this stuff to get stale, they just cut loose and pack it in.? The recording's pretty good.? I wish the bass was a little more prominent and the guitar tone could use a little something extra, but for the most part it sounds good.? The vocals have a nice texture and clarity happening, the guitars are certainly heavy and dominant, and while typically clicky the percussion has enough low-end thump to make up the difference.? The layout looks decent and makes use of metallic silver ink for some added kick, but the band photos are kind of boring (Half of the band members always look asleep?) and I don't really get what the images of x-acto knives have to do with anything.? Lyrically there are lot of references to "truth" that carry a subtle christian slant, with other common topics of friendship and perseverance (you know, "the fight"), but for the most part the religious elements are handled in a way that wouldn't really put off listeners who aren't into that stuff.? I don't like the fact that the song titles are pseudo sarcastic, though.? It makes no sense since the titles aren't at all over the top enough to be amusing, and they have no real correlation to the lyrics at all.? "Not Another Teen Love Song"?? "Know When to Hold ?Em..." and "...Know When to Fold ?Em"?? What's the point?? And people, come on, under no circumstances should any band ever do a song called "Demonstrating My Style" unless it's not a Madball cover. Kapische? That's just tasteless, kids. Shame on you! You ought to be able to get sued for that, seriously. This is definitely better than their first full-length, though. It's nothing worth writing home about, but I can see why fans of this style would dig this. They've become a competent band that writes decent, if typical, modern metalcore songs and performs them with a level of quality sufficient to get the job done. Not bad. They still need to keep working at it, but not bad.
[Facedown]
Running time - 28:17, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Shall We Dance, Not Another Teen Love Song, ...Know When to Fold ?Em]
Facedown Records - http://www.facedownrecords.com
