Ahhh, not bad. Catchy, heavy emo/indie/metalcore type stuff with a semi radio-friendly edge that I have no problem tolerating at the hands of killer tracks like opener "Taste the Red Hands". Shit, the first three songs are all winners, and the title track is definitely the kind of thing I could imagine hearing all over the radio and MTV these days, but I don't give a fuck - good songs are good songs. These dudes do the norm as far as mixing singing with intense screaming, clean parts and distorted parts, etc. But it's generally really heavy without shedding its hard-hitting melodic side, and to me this isn't whiny bullshit at all. The playing is tight, the recording fuckin' rules, and I like the majority of the tracks. The singing is a little high-pitched but very tasteful, the screams are distorted but very effective, none of the changeovers from soft to heavy are awkward or forced, they stick with pretty basic structures and memorable choruses, etc. Is it anything new? Nah, it's not. But so what? The middle of the record does dull down a little, getting into some lighter tracks like "Glass in the Trees" and especially "Dimmer Light", but the initial bang of the first three tracks picks back up with "Hostages". As far as the production goes, it's fuckin' great. Everything is bright and loud, totally full, perfectly mixed, etc. You can hear the bass, the drums sound resonant and warm, the guitars and vocals are balanced and drive the tracks (rightfully so)... I wouldn't touch a damn thing. The layout's pretty weird, all done in black, white, and red with damn near every bit of text stricken through with red lines, the band photos obfuscated by red smears, etc. The lyrics are all basically personal and don't jump out at me, I guess they could definitely be worse, but nothing strikes me as interesting or worth pointing out. It's fairly standard stuff. As stated, it's all about good songs. If you hate this shit, hey, fine, get lost. If you're down for good songs that are a little simple and fairly typical for this particular style, check this out. I like it and I have no major complaints. Good stuff... simple as that.
[Solid State]
Running time - 60:30, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Taste the Red Hands, Dream Club Murders, New Medicines, Hostages]
Dead Poetic - http://www.deadpoetic.com
