Not bad. Not great, but not bad. Metalcore with melody. Musically it's not necessarily all that original, they mix it up with tangible hardcore rhythms, melodic octave chords, hammer-on/pull-off riffs, chunky breakdowns, emo leanings, etc. And yeah, the mix of singing and screaming/shouting is pretty standard fare at this point as well, but the songwriting is competent and they do have some distinct elements. Namely the aggressive vocals, which are way burly and have a really unique sound that you don't hear too often, especially not contrasted by such smooth singing. The singing's pretty good, too. Especially in often more upbeat and rocked out tracks like "Angels With Hands Around Their Necks" (granted those backing female vocals are unnecessary and some of the guitar effects are annoying). "Hallmark Card for Heartbreak" ends on a strong note with some powerful melodic chords, and I think that's a good indication of the band at their best. The songwriting here is good for a starter EP, enough to where I could see this band being ranked alongside some of those Victory Records bands that are doing so well out there if they'd polish it up a bit, it's just inconsistent. They suffer from good part/bad part/okay part/great part syndrome, so the songs are really a rollercoaster when it comes to quality level. Nothing gets terrible, but they're not always "on", if you know what I mean. The last track is pretty damn good, though. Tactfully bringing in spoken vocals and very effectively building up from clean guitars into a nice layered set of heavy rhythms and dissonant notes. It's an unlisted song, I don't know why, but whatever... The production is fine for a relatively brief EP like this. It would need minor work to really benefit what they're doing, but this is a strong set of tones. The percussion sounds pretty damn good, the bass is there, the guitars are thick and warm, and the vocals pretty clear. The mix is also nicely balanced. To take it up a notch they'd need to get the instruments sounding as clear as the vocals, and add a little more brightness/low-end punch across everything to spice up the range of tones and give it that extra kick. This sounds fine, though. The layout's collaged with lots of burned photos, torn paper, handwritten and typed text, spatters of blood, and so on. Aspects look good, some look a little goofy by comparison, but overall it's cool. The lyrics I'm not into because they're the typically violent attacks on love gone wrong dealing with heartbreak and revenge or whatever, so it's a little cheesy and just not something I can imagine anyone realistically identifying with to any large degree. Not bad, like I said. It needs work, but if they can better balance catchiness with heaviness they'll get there.
[United Edge]
Running time - 21:07, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Hallmark Card for Heartbreak, the last unlisted track]
United Edge Records - http://www.unitededge.com
