Protest The Hero- Volition Album Review

I've only been a Protest the Hero fan for a short while, probably a year or so, but I fell in love with the band. Their lyrics have a lot of value and they are fantastic musicians in their own right. When I heard that they had a new album coming out, I simply HAD to get it and write a review about it. This is the first album that I have listened to that made me want to listen to the full album. It gripped me like an action thriller and it took every fiber in me to hit stop and go to sleep. It should also be noted that Protest the Hero parted ways with their drummer Moe Carlson who was the original drummer of the band. The band have found a new drummer Mike Ieradi, but Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler is the session drummer for this album. Without further ado, onto the fantastic album that is Volition.

1.      Clarity- This track practically pulls you into the musical insanity that is Protest the Hero, and shows you what they really are made of. The intro riff really appeals to me and the progression of the drums is flawless. They beat flows so smoothly and the bass and guitar lock right in. What always appealed to me about Protest the Hero was that they had a second guitar that plays a funky rhythm over a progression. This track does not have a lot of screaming in it, but in this case it makes the song sound even better. The song overall is a consistent barrage of sound and it sounds beautiful and well arranged. 8/10

2.      Drumhead Trial- One of my favorite things about Protest The Hero are their 'broken' up intros. They play a quick little riff, then rest, then play the next part of the riff. It just sounds so badass and awesome to me. The song flows extremely well, especially with the tempo change at 1:34. It took me by surprise, but I was happily surprised to hear the song flow just as well as it did before. The song takes a turn for the softer side about three quarters through the song featuring guest vocalist Kayla Howran, a country vocalist who I have never heard of. Let me say this, she KILLED it. Her vocal range was spectacular and her voice fit the song perfectly. 8/10

3.      Tilting Against Windmills- This song is an immensely "heavy" song. The drums really push this song forward and vocalist Rody Walker really gets time to shine on this track, as well as bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi. The breakdown at the end of the song is one of the heaviest breakdowns I have heard in a long time. The song really makes me want to get up and break shit. It's that heavy of a track. The guitar solo in the album changes moods quite well, using the broke intro concept I mentioned in "Drumhead trial" With that being said, it is kind of similar to the opening track Clarity in some aspects. 6.75/10

4.      Without Prejudice- The song starts off with a trumpet sound that sounds like it came from an old 80's movie when the protagonist has caught the villain mid crime. With that being said, this is one of my favorite tracks off of the album. It has a lot of energy going for it, and the second half of the song is quite inspiring. What makes this song so amazing to me is the bass line in the midst of the third verse. It is signature Arif with his crazy bass lines, but the accents he used on the notes he hit were what really blew me away. The guitars eventually start following the bass line, as opposed to the bass line following the guitar parts. The bass leads the song for a full minute before the guitar takes over "control" of the song. Rody is flaunting his vocal range in this song, hitting high notes with ease and accentuating the song all the more. The composition and the execution of this song are simply mind blowing, and dare I say, flawless. 9.5/10  

5.      Yellow Teeth- Something about this song throws me off. I think it may have been the quiet part of the song, or maybe it was the overall progression of the song. The song does have a badass riff in with really cool licks and mini solos in it. The guitars really help the song transition from section to section within the song. With all of that being said, the song does not stand out at all in this album. It has flair, but it kind of blends into the album. There is nothing special about this song, but the song itself does sound good. Great even. I feel it could have been a little bit more dynamic though. 6/10

6.      Plato's Tripartite- Half way through the album! I feel that at this point the album, the songs really change and stand out more. Plato's Tripartite is a perfect example of this. The chorus and the verse are very distinct, and don't fade in and out of each other like the previous songs. This is not to say that it is a bad thing, but it very nice to see the variety in the song. The breakdown in the song is very dynamic and to top it all off, the band even adds an acoustic guitar outro for fifty five seconds in which Rody and Kayla overlay their vocals to create beautiful harmonies with a simple acoustic guitar in the background. I'd overall rate this song an 8/10.

7.      A Life Embossed- This song really means a lot to me. A friend of mine is very passionate about the BSL law that is discussed in this song and is doing everything she can to get it overturned. The song essentially talks about the law that is practically committing a genocide on Pitbulls. With that taken care of, this song musically is feels like something that could have been on Fortress. It has quite a bit of screaming and the drums and guitar work are simply stunning like always. The bass works really well in this song and compliments the drums and guitars quite well. 7.5/10

8.      Mist- This song is very upbeat. I can't tell if it is due to Rody's voice or the guitar section and the bright notes used, but it sounds very uplifting. In comparison to other songs, this one sounds very simple in terms of the composition of the song, but it works very well. They do add a very nice violin ending to it followed by an acoustic outro that bears no resemblance to the outro of Plato's Tripartite. This outro is fully decked out with piano, backup acoustic guitar and a lead acoustic guitar that plays a very interesting melody. The piano was a very nice touch to this song and adds to the beauty of this song. 7/10

9.      Underbite- This song pokes fun at the generic bands and artists that tour and become sellouts and record generic material to please the crowd. The song has a bunch of tempo changes and time signature making it very complex piece in all. My personal favorite was the second change that introduced the backup vocals around the three minute mark because the bass really shines and shows how layered it can really get. 7.5/10

10.  Animal Bones- This is, in my opinion, the heaviest song on the record. The double bass pounds away as Rody screams some of the heaviest screams I have heard from him. There aren't as many changes in this song in comparison to Underbite or Without Prejudice, but that doesn't change the fact that the song is still pretty good. The one thing I didn't like about this song was that they faded out. I felt they could have ended the song on the ending riff they used without having to fade out. Kind of ruined the feel of the song for me, but not by much. 6.5/10

11.  Skies- This song really has a lot going for it. It has a few soft parts where the bass takes the lead and Rody is able to show he does have a tender side to his voice, and then it has other sections where the guitar is ruling the song with some heavy riffs and insane shredding. Lyrics were strong and as passionate as the rest of the album and everyone was able to stand out musically without getting muddled and overplayed. The song overall was a great way to end the album. 8/10

Album Overall: This album is my favorite album of the year. It has a lot going for it and each song is very distinct and unique. The female vocalist Kayla Howran does a fantastic job in "Drumhead Trial". There's are large amount of guest musicians on this record as well, such as Jadea Kelly, a female folk vocalist who is practically a staple for back vocals for Protest the Hero, as well as various other vocalists and guitarists. The riffs are all memorable and very solid. Both lead guitarist Luke Hoskin and rhythm guitarist Tim Millar are stunning guitarists and have great chemistry as musicians. They are both very skilled and complement each other's strong suits very nicely. Bassist Arif remains as technical as always with his tapping bass sections and stunning slap technique. He is able to accent the guitar parts quite nicely, and he works with the intense drum parts that Chris Adler lays down on the album. Adler is a monster drummer and does a great job on this record as a studio drummer. His fills are amazing and he fits with the band quite well, despite the fact he only played drums on the album, and not live. The album overall is fantastic and I can't wait to hear more from them.

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Mayday Parade- Monsters in the Closet Album Review

I only found out about this album three months when I saw the band post information about it on their Facebook page. If they hadn't done that, I wouldn't have even heard about it. I checked out the lyric video for their first single and thought it was a really good song. Right then and there, I decided that this would have to be an album that I check out. Mayday Parade's past three albums have all been unique in their own special way, so without further ado, let's get on with the review.

In Depth Review:

1.      Ghosts- This was the first of two singles they released from this album. It has a really soft intro, but it picks up within after the first 30 seconds. The first thing I heard was the guitar in the background. It was doing a lot more movement than I expected, but I'll admit I like it. It isn't like Hail to the King by Avenged Sevenfold where the intricate part stood out and tarnished the song to a certain extent, but a subtle guitar part that gets its time to shine for the quick solo in the song. The song in itself is very dynamic and has a lot of tempo changes as well as a good mix of highs and lows. Another plus is that I can hear the bass really well in this track which is always good since the bassist gets a little time to shine as well. This is overall a really good opener, I'd give it a 8/10

2.      Girls- This is the second single off the album that was released a couple of weeks ago. This song sounds very pop-punk, but in a good way. The drums are really punchy and push the song forward a lot. The song has a nice guitar riff going for it and the vocals are stunning. Towards the end of the song, it slows down a lot, but they were able to keep tempo and maintain the integrity of the song. Overall, I'd give this song a 7/10. I felt there was something missing in the song, something that could have made it ten times better, but it is still a great track.

3.      Last Night for a Table of Two- The introduction to this is song is amazing! The guitar has a very Middle Eastern feel to it. This song is really technical in comparison to Mayday Parade's previous material. There are a lot of held notes, and there is an insane guitar solo filled with shreddy goodness. The vocalists Derek Sanders and Jake Bundrick have really nice vocal tradeoffs and they fit really well together on the vocal department.  The bass and drums are really tight on this track and the track overall is a really rock oriented track. I did not expect this type of track to be on the album; it surprised me in a good way. 9/10

4.      12 Through 15- This track is the type of track I was expecting to be on the record, and it doesn't disappoint. The track opens up with an audio clip from a movie. The track overall is very soft and laid back The bass is playing a very slow, but moving progression while the guitars play a nice percussive chord progression. The band really focuses on the vocals and set their goals to accentuate the vocals in this song. The song really picks up towards the second half, and it really shows off Derek's vocals. 8/10

5.      The Torment of Existence Weighed Against the Horror of Nonbeing- The intro is a big band "la-la-la" intro, but I wasn't too fond of it. I can see it being used in a live set extensively, but I wasn't a fan of the record version. With that aside, the song is really cool to listen to. The bass does some really cool stuff in the verse, and the vocals are stunning in the chorus. Jason and Derek get to show off their vocal abilities. The second guitar and piano in the second verse add nice accents in the song without overshadowing the song as a whole. The bridge and the buildup to the final chorus are amazing and I absolutely love this song. My only other issue with this song is that the end of the song has a violin section that feels out of place. With that aside, the album seems to get better the longer you listen to it. I'd give this track a 7/10

6.      Even Robots Need Blankets- This is yet another soft rock track. It starts off with a piano, and throughout the course of the song, goes back to focus on it since it is the main component of the song. The song gets slightly heavier, but it doesn't really change much. There are no interesting dynamic changes, nor a fun moving bassline. What really threw me off was the end of the song that seemed to have ended on a bad note. The song also initially end in an abrupt manner before going to the piano to end it. I'd give this song a 5/10. It feels very unpolished and incomplete.

7.      Repent and Repeat-  From the fade in to the very end, this track had me hooked. The drums are stellar and it is very pop-punk like. It has a great feel to it and I really like the song lyrically. The song flows really well and always stay up beat. It is personally one of my favorite songs off of the record so far. It is just so consistent and powerful. Plus the song is really catchy and the chorus is already stuck in my head after one listen. 9.5/10.

8.      Demons- This is another one of Mayday Parade's powerhouse tracks; a pop-punk track. This song would stand out if it was placed on one of their older records, but in an album filled with lots of fast upbeat tracks, it doesn't shine like it should Demons is a great track and one of my first thoughts about this song was that the intro is very Boys Like Girls like. It is reminiscent of their style, but in a good way.The track doesn't stand out terribly well in the album, but it is all in all a good track. 6.5/10

9.      Sorry, Not Sorry- I had two simultaneous impressions of this song when I first heard it. The first expression is that this song sounds like something off of their debut full length album, A Lesson in Romantics. The second was that the phrasing of the song is really awkward in various parts such as the intro. It didn't quite ruin the song for me, but it did bother me a little bit.  The song overall was good and I'd give it a 7.5/10

10.  Nothing You Can Live Without, Nothing You Can Do About- Something about this song strikes a chord with me. I don't know why, but I feel that I really relate to this song. With the personal feelings aside, this song is amazing. It feels like something that would have made it onto their second album, Anywhere But Here. It fits the theme of that album quite well, but it fits this one just as well. It is a really nice track and I would give it a solid 8/10

11.  Hold Onto Me- This is probably their most powerful song on the album. It is a soft rock track, very similar to Lifehouse in that sense. The track is a soft track and is a nice way to reach the ending of this album. Derek is belting out all he has vocally and is clearly putting some passion and soul into his work. I liked this track quite a bit. 710

12.  Angels- The album digresses from its hard hitting intros and triplets on the bass drum to end with yet another soft track. The album built up and digressed in a nice even manner. As for the song Angels, it reminds me a lot of Miserable at Best, a song they released on their debut album A Lesson in Romantics. The song is a nice soft ending to fantastic album. 7/10

The Album Overall:

WOW. Let me start with that. This album was amazing. I will definitely be listening to this album again and again for quite some time. The album has a things going for it and it was mixed really well. The lyrical content is no different than any of their other records, so I didn't focus on it as much. What really blew me away for this record was the instrumentals and the musicality. It is unlike any other Mayday Parade record I have ever heard and it is amazing. Id' give the album as a whole a solid 8.5/10. There are some really stellar songs in this album and I can happily say in my opinion that there are no bad tracks on this album. Nothing stood out like a sore thumb in a negative manner, and nothing sounded terrible. The album was well mixed, well made, and in my opinion, it will be well received. 

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Rise Against- Long Forgotten Songs Album Review

Last Tuesday, September 10, Rise Against released their "B Side Compilation" album Long Forgotten Songs. The band essentially compiled a list of 26 songs that have appeared on the albums Rise Against has released. Certain songs were once region restricted, while others such as Death Blossoms, only appeared in the popular rhythm game Guitar Hero: World Tour. In a nutshell, this album perfectly describes what Rise Against is about. The songs are set it no specific order from what I can tell, and there are quite a few covers in here as well such as Bruce Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad, and Journey's Any Way You Want. The album as a whole is a great way to see how the band has progressed over the past decade since their debut in 2001.

The album opens up with Historia Calamitatum, a track that closely resembles Rise Against's core sound from their most recent albums such as Appeal To Reason and Endgame. The tracks Death Blossoms and Elective Amnesia follow and they are pretty strong tracks. Death Blossoms was featured in Guitar Hero : World Tour and was never really released on any soundtrack. Whilst watching the premiere video for Long Forgotten Songs, Tim mentioned that he really liked Grammatizator, which is the next track on the record. It is a really hard hitting track and hardly ever lets up. Blind is the fifth track on this album and it is one of my favorite tracks. It embodies everything that I really like about Rise Against. Everchaning Acoustic is the next track, and I believe it is the only full acoustic track on the album. If I recall correctly, this was in a Warped Tour compilation album, and it fits the album well.

For me, the next two tracks kind of blended into each other, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Generation Lost, and Dirt And Roses blended into to each other for some reason. The Ballad of Hollis Brown, a Bob Dylan Cover, blew me away. It was immensely powerful and well put together. One of the first tracks released in relation to this album was Sight Unseen, and it is by far one my favorite tracks off of this record. It stand for some reason to me, but then again, I guess that's the point of a single. The following track Lanterns didn't really stick with me well the first couple of times I listened to it, but it eventually grew on me. The next track, Making Christmas, sounded like a basic punk rock track at first listen, but I later found out that the band tried to follow the original score for the song for the movie soundtrack Nightmare: Revisited. The next set of tracks, Join the Ranks, Built to Last, and Voice of Dissent all sort of went over my head. Although they are all very different tracks, nothing about they really stood out to me as a listener. The next Bob Dylan cover, Little Boxes, was an interesting track to me. I wasn't a big fan of the track, but I do like what the band did with it. The following track is quite possibly Rise Against's most popular B-Side Give It All. It was originally featured in the compilation album Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. It was then re-released on their third album Siren Songs of the Counter Culture four months later.

Rise Against's next track Minor Threat is a cover by the band of the same name. It's a live version of the cover, but that does not take away from the album at all, as there is a lot of energy in the song. Obstructed View follows the Minor Threat cover and it was originally released on Siren Songs of the Counter Culture. The track really pushes the album along and it has an insane riff to it. The picking pattern and style is fantastic and it sounds very menacing and in your face. But Tonight We Dance is a track that really stands out to me lyrically. In the interview regarding the release of this album, Tim mentions that he wrote the lyrics when he was at a show and the singer discussed that there is a time for revolution and change, but there is also time to kick back and have a good time. It's a very mid tempo track. It isn't too punky, but it isn't an acoustic ballad either. It's a great balance, and a great track overall. Nervous Breakdown is the twenty first track on this compilation album and it sounds extremely punk rock. I know that may sound like a silly thing to say, how can something sound like a genre of music, but the tone and sound of the track just screams old school punk rock. It has a raw sound to it, and the drums push the track forward in an even pace. Gethsemane is up next, and it caught my attention from the beginning with the guitar riff that sort of follows the vocal melody. The track has a nice feel to it, and the drop ins are stellar. The final four tracks on the album are all covers! Boy's No Good by Lifetime, Any Way You Want It by Journey, Silver by Nirvana, and lastly The Ghost Of Tom Joad featuring Tom Morello, Wayne Kramer, and Brian Fallon. These covers are all amazing in their own right, but my absolute favorite track on the album would have to be The Ghost Of Tom Joad. It is one of my favorite Springsteen songs of all time, and when bands like Rise Against and Rage Against The Machine cover it, it just makes the track fifteen times better! Plus, Tom Morello's guitar solo on it just blows me out of the water every time!

This album had so much to offer. It really shows how flexible of a band Rise Against really is. Some of you may have seen then the band of the week a couple of weeks back when Rise Against was featured. In it, I mentioned that they were mainly a punk rock band, but as time progressed, they developed more melody in their music, and created an equal balance between the clean and unclean vocals. The fact that the band added a lot of covers interested me because it showed that they didn't just want to release songs that never made albums, but also covers of songs that they liked and grew up listening to, or songs that just outright inspired them. Their cover of Journey's Any Way You Want It was amazing in my opinion, as was their cover of Bob Dylan's The Ballad of Hollis Brown. The overall album was amazing and I'd give it a solid 9/10. The album shows how amazing of a band Rise Against really is, and how far they have come in the past 12 years as a band. I full recommend this album to anyone who wants to listen to some good rock/punk rock.

                                                                                         

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Avenged Sevenfold- Hail To The King Album Review

A couple of months ago, Avenged Sevenfold released news that they were releasing a new album. It would be the first full album without the late drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. Many fans were distraught upon hearing the news about Jimmy's passing and they thought the band was going to break up. They eventually found Arin Illejay and the band was able to continue onwards. In various interviews, they said that this album was going to be completely different from all of their other records (What band DOESN'T say that?). They said they were trying to get a Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin feel for this album in various interviews. This was surprising considering they always seemed more influenced by heavier acts like Iron Maiden and Guns N Roses, but Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin WERE pretty heavy music acts, so I thought they were going to release a really good album. On Tuesday August 21st, the band decided to stream their full album on iTunes, and the following will be a track by track review of the album, followed by an overview.

1.      Shepherd of Fire- This is the opener to the album! It has a very good intro in my opinion and it Arin creates a nice buildup. It has a very old school metal feel to it I will admit that. I'm not a huge fan of the lyrics though. They seem really cheesy to me, but to each their own I suppose. The rhythm section in this song is superb and the song is overall not bad. The solo is very shreddy though, and has no real melody and is just mindless shredding to me. I felt the band could have opened up with a better track in my opinion. The track overall is a 5.5/10

2.      Hail To The King- The first single released for this album, as well as the album's self titled track. When I first heard this song, I really didn't like it. The drums completely sucked, and they were so basic, and the lyrics felt like they were bad Iron Maiden lyrics. After listening to the album as a whole a bit more, I've decided it fits the album, but it doesn't hide the fact that the drums aren't as technical as I first expected them to be. I wasn't a fan of the lead part that Synyster played under the rhythm, which was a very legato like riff. I felt it didn't fit the song during the verses, but it sounded good in the intro and in the buildups to the chorus. This is song is definitely going to be an Avenged Sevenfold staple. It has such a big chorus and it's pretty dynamic overall. I'd give it a 5/10.

3.      Doing Time- The first time I heard this song I thought I was listening to Revelation Theory. The intro for this song is a dead ringer for Rev Theory's single "Hell Yeah". I'll supply the link below with "Hell Yeah" as well as a timestamp as to where the similarities are. With that being said, this track is pretty solid. I really like, the drums fit the track really well and the song overall is really cool. The solo wasn't has mindless as other have been, and the little overdubs Syn does fit the song so well. 7.5/10. 

4.      This Means War- This is another stripped down track, similar to Hail to the King. Arin gets a LITTLE bit fancy on the rhythm, but otherwise this sounds like a very old school metal track from the 80's. Syn went crazy on the whammy bar, and Zacky and Johnny, the rhythm guitar player and bassist respectively, keep a great groove together. The track is a 6.5/10 for me. It was bolder and sounded better to me than Hail to the King.

5.      Requiem- This song, in my opinion, should have been the opener to the album. This is yet another heavy chunky track. Syn changes it up in the solo with a wah pedal, something I don't hear him using too much in his playing. The track opens up with chant in Latin, followed by a track that I feel could belong on City of Evil. It's really good in my opinion and it's starting to grow on me. I wish they filled out the high end with keys or some sort of orchestration because that would make it ten times better! 6.75/10

6.      Crimson Day- Unlike the other tracks, this one starts off with a single guitar with reverb on a clean tone as well as a bass. The track eases into a very soft rock feel, but it builds up as the tracks goes on. There are keys placed in this tracks so it fills out the high end of the song, making it feel much fuller and louder overall. I really liked the fact that the clean riff was played in the chorus as well because it sounds really good there and even the solo had a good melody going for it. This solo reminds me of the stuff that'd appear on the band's self titled album, and that's a good thing! The bass can actually be heard for once, as opposed to being overshadowed by the guitars, and Johnny takes advantage of this by play a smooth bass line that shows he just doesn't follow the root notes. 8.5/10

7.      Heretic- The drums get better on this track. Arin starts to discretely add 16th note triplets on the bass. I'm happy this track retained a little bit of the harmonies that I've come to expect from Avenged Sevenfold over the years. The bass is large and thumpy on this track, more so than on previous tracks, and the melody riff is a bit edgy, which is good for this song I think. About half way through the song, it goes into a "Seize the Day" kind of groove. It's pretty cool, but some would think that it was kind of sporadic and doesn't fit the song. The clean guitar that uses reverb sounds out of place on this track, but it quickly goes back into the main groove of this track with another Syn solo. Lyrically, this song was kind of odd to me, but then again, most of the lyrics of this album have thrown me off. I will say this though; the ending to this song is really cool for no clear reason to me. 7/10

8.      Coming Home- If I could only download one song off this album this would be the song. This the song I think everyone has been expecting from Avenged Sevenfold. It is so loud and is immensely reminiscent of something that belongs on City of Evil. The drums have finally kicked in and Arin can show what he can do on the kit. It's a hard rock track for sure, but Arin doesn't go all out as I expected him to. On an even brighter note, Syn's crazy solos finally have a place where they don't sound like they were randomly thrown in. The track is really consistent and is my favorite track off of the album. For all of you guitar nuts that love to hear Syn solo, Syn has a minute and fifteen seconds of a solo. Lyrically, this song is fantastic, and I was even able to catch a little bit of Johnny Christ's bass fills and interludes in the song which give it great depth. They stand out in the chorus and sound amazing. This track is a 9/10. If it had harmonies with Synyster or Zacky, or keys section that could buildup to Synyster's solo it'd be a perfect track in my opinion as far as this album is concerned.

9.      Planets- Matt sounds very gritty on this track, and they return to their heavy metal feel. Arin does have a double bass section within the song, right before the choruses that give it an old school Avenged Sevenfold to it. Out of all of the "old school metal tracks" on this album, this is probably my favorite. I like the drums, they sound better and much more natural. It sounded like Arin really felt the groove of this track and got into it. I can definitely see this track becoming popular with Avenged fans. There are interestingly placed horns in this track, which I am all for, make the track sound louder and in your face. But, I personally can't see myself listening to the track on repeat. It felt very repetitive at some points. 6.5/10

10.  Acid Rain- This is their ballad rock song, and it's how I seen Avenged close their albums (Fiction closed Nightmare and Dear God closed the self titled).It picks up and drops at certain point, but it is overall a decent track. I didn't quite follow the track too well, but I really like the keys and piano that were placed into the song. Syn also solos beautifully and soulfully in this track, thus making the song come together since an out of place solo can ruin a song. It was an overall great way to end the album.6.75/10

The Album Overall:
This album is completely different from anything Avenged Sevenfold has done. They've done hard rock records, metalcore records, but never an album that had an old school metal feel. For I'd say fifty percent of album, Avenged Sevenfold stuck to their word about the album and how it would have a heavy metal feel to it, as well an old school metal feel. It felt as so, mainly because of the drums and how it guided the songs. I tried to place a lot of emphasis on Arin in this review since he is the most recent member of the band, and he has to take the place of The Rev on the drums.

Like everyone, I expected more out of Arin on this album, but I fully understand why he played as he did on the album. The album wasn't meant to show off the drums and the fact they had a new drummer, but the fact that they were back and that they were able to recover from the passing of their former drummer to a certain extent. The drums, and the album as a whole got considerably better as each song passed. I wasn't a big fan of songs like "Shepherd of Fire" or "This Means War", but things really picked up in the second half of the album with "Planets" and "Coming Home". I sincerely wish Zacky and Syn retained their job as backing vocalists because they accented Matt's voice amazingly well, and there were some parts of the record where I thought their backing vocals would be perfect. I also feel some keyboard playing, or rather, the addition of keys would make the songs sound fuller and much more dynamic. Lastly, I do wish Syn didn't play as many 'mindless' shreddy solos that have no real purpose other than to say "Hey I can play fast and sweep!". He is a great guitarist, and has shown that he knows his way around the fretboard album after album, but I wish they had more substance and fit the song more, but that's just my 2 cents. Overall, this record to me is a 6.75/10. The tracks kind of started to blend together after a while. There are stand out tracks like "Doing Time", "Crimson Day", "Coming Home" and even "Acid Rain", but past that, they sounded kind of bland.

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We Came As Romans- Tracing Back Roots Album Review

Melodic Metalcore band We Came As Romans released their third album on Tuesday, July 23, 2013 titled Tracing Back Roots. I recall hearing their sophomore record Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be and was floored by the lyrical content and how tight the band sounded. The clean vocals were so high and clean, and the unclean vocals were rough and gritty. They were seriously in sync and it quickly became one of my favorite releases of 2011. But enough about the past, let’s move on to this record. Despite WCAR releasing three of their singles prior to the album’s full release, I decided against listening to them in interest of getting the full album experience when the album dropped. A friend of mine bought it on Tuesday and I was lucky enough to rip the tracks to my laptop so I could write this review.

The Record:

The album opens up strongly with Tracing Back Roots, a song that predominantly consists of unclean vocals. It is very heavy, and it starts the album of pretty well. Up next is Fade Away, a track that features David Stephens singing clean vocals alongside the original clean vocalist and keyboard player Kyle Pavon. It is primarily a clean song, and it shows the fans what David can do with his voice when he isn’t screaming. The third track on this record, I Survive, features Aaron Gillespie from The Almost. He blended very well in this track, a track that has a very interesting intro. It has a very hard rock feel to it and it has a laid back feel to it, minus the chorus and bridge. Ghosts, a hard track with a very melodic bridge captures a more ambient side of WCAR for a brief moment before they bring back their heavy chorus filled with double bass and crash hits. Present, Future, and Past is a track that is reminiscent of something that would belong on their Dreams EP. It’s very heavy and in-your-face kind of track.

Smack dab in the middle of this record is Never Let Me Go, a hard rock track that is predominantly clean on vocals. It feels like it belongs on their sophomore album Understanding What’ We’ve Grown to Be, which is never a bad thing since it was an amazing album. Hope, the band’s first single off of this album, comes up next. It is a crowd pleaser and a motivational song that reminds you never give up. It’s a pretty solid song, but then again, it’s a single and it should be nothing but solid. Tell Me Now feels like a standard We Came As Romans song, and A Moment feels like it’s going to be the next anthem their fans shout out during their concerts. It has a very anthemic feel and I can tell it is going to be one for the crowd. I Am Free is a very open, positive track. David shows off his vocals on this track. This track really stands out, and is tied with Never Let Me Go for my favorite track on this album. The album closes up with Through the Darkest Dark and the Brightest Bright, a typical post-hardcore track stating that they will always move forward and never forget where they came from.

My Opinion:

I’ll start off with the positive. David’s vocals on this album made the album ten times better than I could have ever expected. I was not expecting him to sing so it took me by surprise, but his range and vocal ability quickly grew on me. The band still has the same tight rhythm as always, something I’ve always admired. They keep thing fresh in the rhythm section and the lead guitar (if there even is one), and the keys create beautiful melodies that make the songs sound full. The lyrics are also positive and refrain from the terrible lyrics I have seen from other bands. They try to inspire their fans and motivate them by sending them the message that they are not alone, something I admire in an age where lyrics are losing value.

With all of that in mind, I’ll progress to the not so positive. This album did not break any boundaries musically. I am not stating that We Came As Romans set out to break boundaries and blow everyone out of the way, but if they tried to do so, they failed. The tracks kind of blended in together with tracks such as Tell Me Now and A Moment blending into one track for me. I felt they should have added more keys into the album to fill out the higher range more because it feels really bottom heavy. I get that the songs are meant to be “in-your-face, shake-the-ground” tracks at times, but it helps to level it off at some points. As previously stated, the band didn’t break boundaries. It sounds very generic and although the lyrics are positive, they get kind of stale pretty fast. I felt their previous album was better sonic-ly and it had a larger variety in terms of tracks. In addition, I really didn’t like the quality of the unclean vocals Present, Future, and Past. It sounded like it was low quality and not mastered. I am also not a big fan of the vocal drops that were in the song. I feel that it’s a cheap, over done way to transition to the next part of a song. I would give this album a 6/10. There was definitely much to be desired when it came to this album.

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Paramore- Album Review

This is my first album review, ever. I hope to have a better finalized format for reviews very soon.

Paramore has finally come back with a full album since Brand New Eyes in 2009. Their self titled album is the first album without the Farro brothers (Zac and Josh Farro were the guitarist/backing vocalist and drummer respectively for Paramore before they left the band). Let me preface my review by saying that I have been waiting for this album to come out for a while now, and I am sincerely excited to hear these songs. I didn't know what to expect with the album because of Paramore stated this album won't sound like Riot! and that is something I saw coming because all bands change and grow musically. As far as the review goes, I shall review each song individually, and then the album as a whole at the end.

1. Fast in my car-The drums on this track sound very loud and prominent. Lyrically, this song is a song for the fans, telling them that Paramore has changed and that they want a new sound, which is what this album is. "We've got our riot gear on, but we just want to have fun." It shows that they want to enjoy their music and make sure it doesn't become a monotonous process. (I recall reading an interview where Hailey said that the band for the previous three albums followed a formula of sorts, and they wanted to deviate from that and make the music writing process seem new and vibrant. I personally really like this track, especially as an opener. I'd give it a 7/10.

2. Now- This song was released as the first single of the album. I like the arrangement of the song. I will admit that when I heard this song the first time, I didn't like it. It didn't sound like the Paramore I adored during the Riot! album or the Brand New eyes era. I really liked the feel of this song as time went on. It is very clear that this is the single, based on the radio feel it gives off. It sounds like something that would come on the local rock station or something of the sort. Regardless, I give this song a 6/10. It has a nice feel to it, but at the same time it isn't my favorite track on the album. It sounds really over produced, but then again it's just a radio single, the rest of the album is what matters!  

3. Grow Up- This track sounds very 311-like. The rhythm section in this song really makes it sound ten times better. It has a decent groove to it, and the lyrics flow really well on the track. I give this track a 7/10. I really like the bridge in this song and it transitions into the next part of the song very nicely. There isn't much to say about this track, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

4. Daydreaming- The beginning of this song reminds of something that would be on the Foo Fighter's most recent album, Wasting Light. The reason for this is that the drums get loud and everything sounds so heavy, but then they back off to develop suspense. The chorus has a very upbeat feel to it, and makes me want to move around. The bridge has an amazing build up, and the keys really add to it in a positive manner. The bass line in this song is really prominent and I like the sound of it. Lyrically the song is alright. 6.5/ 10

5. Interlude: Moving On- The first of three interludes. The mandolin gives this song a very Train- like feel to it. It feels weird to describe it this way, but I can kind of feel Hailey smiling as she sings this song. I like the chord pattern to this short interlude. It sounds so much more upbeat and cheery for some reason. 8/10

6. Ain't it fun- This is quite possibly one of my favorite tracks on the album. It has an insane groove to it and very Michael Jackson like. The way she places emphasis on the words is very reminiscent of the King of Pop himself. The chorus kicks in, and they sound like they sound like the good ol' Paramore I remember, but at the same time, they don't. Their style for this song is completely different and it makes them, and the track stand out. The choir in the bridge and outro is fantastic touch and it fit the song perfectly. The guitar solo fit perfectly under the choir in the outro without interfering or taking away from the choir. 9/10

7. Part II- The intro guitar part sounds a little bit muddled with the effects, but the bass makes up for it. I know I sound like a person who is only looking for the bass in these tracks, but it's because it's there. This album placed a lot more emphasis on the bass to keep the groove and feel of the song going. The chorus kicks in and the track sounds like something that should have came out of Riot! It sounds like the second half of "Let the Flames begin" from Riot! Hailey's vocals remind me of the lead vocalist of the band Fireflight, and that is definitely a good thing. The drum work in the bridge for Part II blew me away. It is so fast, yet so clean. Again, this is another one of the tracks that stands out. 9/10

8. Last Hope- This song is decently motivational, a song about let things happen, let the chips fall where they will kinda song. Nothing stands out about this song, but if a station played this song, I wouldn't switch it. 6/10

9. Still into you- This song sounds like something that would be on Brand New Eyes. The chorus is seriously catchy, and is currently stuck in my head. I like the fast strumming pattern that is in the background, it fills in the gaps for the bridge. This sounds really close to what Paramore was known for in terms of sounds and vocals. Hailey has strong vocals on this track.  7/10

10. Anklebiters- This track is purely driven by the bass and the bass drum. It pushes the song forward and make sure it stays on time. Lyrically, I really like this song. Hailey sings about being yourself and loving yourself, because you're all you've got in the world. Minus the keys, it sounds very punk rock like, especially for Paramore. The keys kind of grounded it, but at the same time added a new depth to the song, which really fit with the track as a whole. 8/10

11. Holiday (Interlude)- This interlude is just like the first interlude, mandolin with a bass track to back it up

12. Proof- In the chorus of the song, Hailey sounds a little bit country. Overall though, the track is very good musically and lyrically. The way the words are sung, the pattern essentially, is very different then other songs on this album, and other material that Paramore has released. I have listened to this track four times in a row so far, and it sounds a little bit better each time because I always hear something new. 6.5 / 10

13. Hate to see your heart break- Lyrically I really like this song. I like the message, and how Hailey gets it across and how she relates to people in similar situations. With that being said, I don't like the musical arrangement for this song, or how it was put together. I feel it would have been better as an acoustic song with piano and a soft drum beat in the back. Lyrically 8/10, musically 4/10

14. (One of those) Crazy Girls- I love the way the song is arranged. The soft, acoustic intro, followed by a brief pause, and then it just comes in with the full band. Lyrically the song is alright. Essentially talks about how she couldn't get over a guy she was with. I really like the way the song sounds though! It's just something about it, it's difficult to describe. 7/10

15. I'm not Angry anymore (Interlude)- My least favorite interlude. Strictly vocals and mandolin, which is never a bad thing. I just don't like it lyrically, in comparison to the other two interludes that is. /10

16. Be alone- A great rock track. The drums in the bridge are amazing and really shows off his ability as a drummer. I personally like the guitar riff a lot in this song for some reason, maybe cause it sounds a little bit like Coheed and Cambria. The keys in the last chorus really fill out the highs in the song. I really like this song! 8/10

17. Future- The Final track! Took a lot longer than I thought it would to get to the end of this record. I like the natural feel of this record, such as the beginning where York and Hailey are talking. The build up for this song seems really natural and well laid out. It builds up with a fade in around the halfway mark. After listening to the full song, I don't quite understand why the faded out, just to fade back in. Either way it sounds very full and just in your face. 6/10

Full album review:

17 tracks. 63 minutes and 58 seconds of music. I honestly would rate this album a 6/10. Paramore came back from a four year hiatus, and I knew they wouldn't be the same band that left. Things had to have changed, both musically, structurally and physically. This album personally wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't for everyone else. I'm not really used to experimental music where everything changes for every song. I also don't like the lyrical content for a lot of the songs, which discussed how they were getting back together after their hiatus and talking about how they were going to change. In my opinion, it's cool to sing about that for two or three songs, but come on. It's been roughly three to four years since their last album, the lyrical content couldn't have changed. Nothing song- worthy happened in the last four years?

Although this album has a few rock/ pop rock tracks, it has something for everyone. There's a funk-ish track, a blues track, acoustic track, pop rock tracks etc. Overall, the album had its ups as well as its downs, but practically every album has that. I can't say that I would go back to listen to this album in full again in the near future, but I do like certain tracks like "Fast in my car", "Part II" and "Ain't It Fun" . and "Hate to see your heart break". The reason I compared Paramore and their songs to numerous other bands is because they said they found their sound, that this is what Paramore will sound like, and what they think the sound of Paramore is. I compared them to the bands because it makes it easier for the reader to get a gist as too what the song can sound like, or be similar to if they know of the the band being referenced. Also compared because the album is very experimental and varies across numerous genres, so it is tough to pinpoint what their "sound" is. 

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