Once again, everything I said about this band's last record still pertains. The artwork, lyrics, and lengthy running times always get me expecting and hoping for some monolithic doom, but instead I'm greeted by the pretty standard American take on melodic Swedish death metal. From a songwriting standpoint these guys are better than average for sure, they manage to capture a certain level of energy and emotion, but it's so generic... I mean, you'll get tons of guitar harmonies, lots of melodic rhythms, clean parts, a few more rock-based elements and some chunkier slow breaks (almost in a metalcore way), vocals that jump from the typical screams and growls to singing, etc. I think the guitar solos are a nice addition, and even though sometimes their note choice is off, the performance has definitely tightened up as a whole compared to the last record... and the singing vocals sound better now as well (granted they're used less and more toned down in the mix when they do appear). The songs are also generally shorter this time out, hovering around the four- to five-minute mark, with a few hitting around six to eight minutes. So they have made some improvements, I'll give 'em that. But this is still nothing that really jumps out at me or grabs my attention. And I'm not that into the recording. It's not bad but it does hold them back. There's not enough brightness or clarity overall, the drums sound flat and powerless, the bass gets lost in the shuffle, and the vocals are far too central and overpowering in relation to everything else (probably because they're the clearest element). They just need to clean things up, get a little more brightness into the guitar tone, let the bass have some room to breathe, back up on the vocals a little, and work with warmer percussion. I do love the artwork. This time out things look far more professional and consistent, and the front cover is truly eye-catching. I also like the crisp fonts used for the lyrics and the fact that everything is legible despite the heavy use of background imagery. I could deal without the intentionally blurry group shot in the center spread because it's unnecessary (there's another band shot on the back of the booklet), but it still looks great overall. I won't bother quoting any lyrics because it's honestly nothing you haven't heard before, just expect lots of sorrow, pain, hopelessness, despair, depression, and so on... I don't know, this band has a ton of potential, they just need to push the boundaries of the style and focus more on the original flare of tracks such as "Like Icarus..." while still honing their recording, their performance, and a few other rough spots. I'd also like to hear more work with the excellent acoustic guitars, as in the brief instrumental "Cold Hands, Shattered Dreams". Visually they've got things down, they just need music that's interesting enough to match... because at nearly an hour this disc wears thin about halfway through. With a little more work this band could be quite good, they're inching their way in the right direction.
[self-released]
Running time - 55:08, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Like Icarus..., Cold Hands, Shattered Dreams]
Summer Dying - http://www.summerdying.com
