Melodic hardcore from Italy. Musically I really like it, but as with many of these bands that I seem to remember hearing from Italy, the singing is the weak link that holds them back. The music is a pretty solid mix of hardcore with added heaviness and lots of melody that borders on emo tinges, but the singing is a lower-midrange monotone delivery (with rougher "shouted singing" backing vocals) that just doesn't have enough character or vibrancy to work with the energy of the music. It's a real shame, because the songwriting is very fucking good, even down to the vocal patterns and the actual notes that the vocalist is trying to hit. He can sort of hit the notes (his range isn't that wide at all), but it still sounds off - sort of flat, just not punchy or catchy like the musical elements. I think the guitarist sings lead in "Hardly Getting Over It" (among some others), and I have to say, if that's the case he's a far better singer than the lead vocalist, and this band would be suitably improved with the guitarist taking over all of the vocals. He needs work as well, but his voice and delivery fit this material a lot more effectively. "Nothing to Explain" has more of a pop-punk sort of thing going on with its vocal tradeoffs, jumpy tempo, and melodic lead layers over power chord rhythms; followed by "Dead Leaves" which is slower and uses some clean guitars during the intro. Closer "Tension With Society" is a little weird with its simplistic drumbeat and changes between spacious chords and vocal harmonies, and it's probably the only song here that I really dislike. I don't have any major issues with the recording. Like most independent releases it has its ups and downs, but it works out fine for what they're offering. The mix is clear and you can hear all of the instruments, there's no empty space lingering around, etc. The bass tone is pretty plunky, the drums sound alright (there's a rigidity there, but it's okay), the vocals are a little plain, and the guitar tone needs a bit more fluidity to its distortion. But the end result is fine, I can definitely listen to it without irritation. The layout's not that great, it gets the job done and everything, but it looks very dated, like something that would've come out in the mid-90's. The fonts are a little strange, the colors and arrangement are a little tacky and jumbled, etc. It could be far worse, but it's definitely not all that visually powerful. The lyrics are basically all personal and don't do much for me, they're alright, but it's nothing worth going into. I don't know, like I said, I really like the music, but the vocals are killing it for me. Songs like "Sweet Dreams" (which musically is a near dead ringer for early Face to Face) would be so awesome with a better vocal performance. Hopefully the band will get that area under control in the future, because they're really good songwriters.
[Goodwill]
Running time - 22:38, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Hardly Getting Over It, Sweet Dreams]
Goodwill Records - http://www.goodwillrecords.net
