I had no idea what this was gonna be. I'm accustomed to really heavy material from this label, but the artwork here wasn't saying that at all. The band hails from Belgium, and this record was originally released on the Belgian label Funtime Records two years ago. It's heavy, but sure enough, it's not at all as aggressive as most of what Life Sentence usually deals with. Ironically it's at times also a little better than most of what I've heard from the label. Definitely not for everyone with its mix of rhythmic metalcore and a emo-ish leanings through added melody and singing vocals (contrasting the screaming, of course), but there are some killer riffs here. They fuck with the time signatures a little bit every now and then, and at times they go in a much more straightforward direction that does basically come off as heavy emo/indie rock (see "The Fingerless Glove"). I guess if I have one major complaint it's that the songs run along at too consistent a moderate tempo, so there's not a great deal of energy or variety in that department. They do toss around a number of clean breaks to changeup the musical dynamics, but it's strange. I mean, "Where Naivety Meets Reality, Stars Are Born" is a shorter track with an odd blend of overtly heavy rhythms as well as unexpected melody and singing, so they take you by surprise, which can be both good and bad. Would the track be better were it straight up heavy all the way through? Yes. It's still good, but the aggressive moments truly kill. Though, at the same time, some of the more laidback songs here need an extra punch. It's an odd mix of styles. There are awesome moments and there are moments that are painfully terrible. There are moments that hit on some menacing and destructive metalcore, and there are moments that almost touch upon poppy indie rock choruses. But unlike some bands, the songwriting isn't powerful enough to pull it all off. I mean, the bad parts here are really bad. "Being in Love With Life (Lesson I)" is a fucking terrible song, for example. But then "A Storm Called Life (Lesson II)", coincidentally a heavier track and one of the most rhythmic herein, is much better... proving to me that this band is a lot more effective when they're playing metalcore rather than emo passages. The sound quality is damn good, though. The vocal harmonies are too loud, but everything else sounds really good. The drums are natural, the bass has just enough presence to make itself heard, and the guitar tone adds extra crunch for heaviness without being too overbearing for the more melodic chords. I really dislike the artwork here because, to be honest, it's just ugly. The color scheme is bland, the imagery is bland, the text and arrangements are bland. I'm just not into it at all. The lyrics are dealing with relationships and stuff and mix a hopeful slant with your usual problematic situations, so it comes off as pretty balanced in a way. Nothing worth getting excited about, but we've all seen worse. I'm torn on this. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt because they have a strong recording and the best moments are pretty damn cool. If they focused on the heavy aspects or worked to write more efficient songs they could definitely be onto something. It's a little boring right now, though.
[Life Sentence]
Running time - 47:54, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Life is Killing Expectation, Where Naivety Meets Reality, Stars Are Born]
Life Sentence Records - http://www.lifesentencerecords.com
