The first thing I notice about this record is that somehow the guitar tone isn't as good as it was on their release on Goodfellow Records, which boggles my mind because you'd think a Victory Records budget would get these dudes sounding heavier than a god damn steamroller. But that's not the case. I don't know... the vocals sound great, the drums are okay (they could be fuller and closer in with the guitars), but I still feel like there's a lack of bass, and the guitars just aren't as heavy as they should be. Something about the distortion has an openness to it that's nice but causes the mix to get sort of clouded up, so the vocals are far clearer and easier to decipher than anything else. I'm stunned to say it, but I think the recording actually holds this one back a bit. It sounds alright, don't get me wrong, but something's off, and it hurts the material. It needs more low-end punch, more force. The songwriting is pretty much the same grinding, mildly chaotic metalcore, shredding through in an average of about a minute or two per song, with two five-minutes tracks dropping halfway through the disc - the slower and more discordant repetition of "Black Den" and the noisy experimentalism (complete with electronics) of "Cables Hum Overhead". Though in all honesty, "Cables Hum Overhead" is a painfully boring and redundant track that sort of acts as a damper on the flow of the record. The key song that really stands out is "The Octopus", with its more tangible riffing that revolves around sludgier southern influences - a far cry from their usual delivery, but killer all the same. The thick, chugging rhythms of "Layover" are also fucking vicious. The layout was handled by Aaron Turner and of course looks quite nice, using vibrantly colored (yet dark) photographs and repetitive shapes throughout. All of the lyrics are crammed onto one page, each track consisting of a mere few lines, and I like the stream of consciousness flow. "Personal exile is a personal utopia. Anonymity is bliss. A faceless nirvana amidst this horde of neon-huffing human refuse. Strung out on fluorescence and pure-cut incandescence." This is a good record from a band that is a lot better than what's presented here in my opinion. I enjoyed "The True Face of Panic" more than this. I think a few of the songs here are dead on, but as a whole I'm a little bored by it. A stronger recording would've made a difference for sure, but taking advantage of their diversity more often would also be a great touch.
[Victory]
Running time - 26:13, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Layover, Black Den, The Octopus]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com
