Review Rundown: Attack Attack!, Nightwish, Switchfoot, Blessthefall, the Life and Times
This edition of the Review Rundown sees us takes looks at
new releases from Attack Attack!, Nightwish, Switchfoot, Blessthefall and the
Life and Times.
Attack Attack! This
Means War (Rise): When Attack Attack! were holed up in the studio recording
their third long player This Means War,
and made the decision to focus on tenacious guitar girth rather than endless
waves of boggy synth, they immediately showed signs of some much needed
progress long before the record hit store shelves and iPod playlists. Gone is
guitarist/clean vocalist Johnny Franck, as This
Means War is the band’s first record to feature frontman Caleb Shomo (who
produced the album and also handles keys) handling all vocal facets, which
actually isn’t a detriment to the overall product. Another encouraging sign is
to see the band moving away from ‘crabcore’ (whatever the hell that means),’
towards something closer to ‘mallcore,’ with proof of said budding growth
coming in the form of shattering tunes like “the Motivation” and “the Family,” which
sees such AA stalwart traits like dance-y electronics and copious auto tune
going the way of the buffalo (read: not entirely), sounds replaced with a
refocused take on breakdowns and windmill guitar riffing. This Means War is by no means perfect, nor is it close, but it’s
definitely AA’s best record, as well as their heaviest, and is a record that
shows a band many once wrote off as just another copycat are willing to adapt
to the ever-changing sonic climate that surrounds them. They at least deserve a
little credit for trying. (www.attackattackoh.com)
Grade: C-
Go Download: “The Reality”
Nightwish – Imaginaerum
(Roadrunner): With Imaginaerum, Nightwish
have seemingly done the impossible by creating a symphonic metal record that
remains enjoyable until the last note. Coupled with the fact that the band
plans on releasing a full-length movie that follows the album's themes and
storyline (you’ll see the album plays magnificently as a film
score/soundtrack), and Imaginaerum
turns into one hell of a ride, one you’ll definitely want to take. This album,
the band’s first in four years, is as ambitious as anything the band has ever
set to wax, and features a potpourri of sounds comprised of layered, dense
orchestrations (“Ghost River”), jazz (“Slow, Love, Slow”), quirky
reinterpretations of childhood nightmares (“Scaretale”), doom metal (“Rest
Calm”) and Finnish lullabies (“Taikatalvi”). Imaginaerum is the second release with vocalist Anette Olzon, who
has clearly found her niche and place in the band, a level of comfort that
leads to some of the albums best cuts, such as the saccharine laced,
uber-melodic “I Want My Tears Back” and the fragile and delicate “Turn Loose
the Mermaids.” Now, Imaginaerum isn’t
perfect – keep that in mind. “Song of Myself” clocks in at an unnecessary
13-minutes, a track that speaks to Imaginaerum
on the whole as the record itself runs a Guns N’ Roses like 75 minutes long.
Nightwish could have easily gotten the same message across in a shorter amount
of time. Still, if that’s the worst of Imaginaerum,
then things aren’t all that bad. If symphonic metal with over-the-top melodies
gets your goat, then Nightwish’s Imaginaerum
might just be your album of the year in 2012. Suffice to say it’s a dynamic
listen you’ll want to check out sooner than later. (www.nightwish.com)
Grade: B+
Go Download: “I Want My Tears Back”
Switchfoot - Vice
Verses (lowercase people records/Atlantic): With each album, Switchfoot has
managed to grow up a little bit more, infusing their middle-of-the-road,
contemporary alt-Christian rock sounds with bits and pieces of experimentalism,
and their latest, Vice Verses, is no
different. As a matter of fact, the band doesn’t really waste much time in
leading listeners to the water to drink of their new found sounds, as the
opening duo of the memorable “Afterlife” and glitzy, melodic dance-rocker “the
Original” showcase the fact that Vice
Verses might just be the bands most ambitious tome yet. The sprawling track
“Relentless” and the yearning acoustic title track are instances of Switchfoot
being Switchfoot, doing what they do best by delivering enjoyable, and
marketable, romantic ballad. And while “Souvenirs” is the albums most perfect
outing, combining the best of the Switchfoot of yesteryear and today, it’s
“Dark Horses” that delivers the album best verses by far. And with Vice Verses, as has been the case with
any number of releases from this bands body of work, with the good comes the
bad. There are moments throughout the album that should send listeners in
search of the skip button, tracks that don’t fit in the grand scheme of things,
most notably the unnecessary electro-tinged “Thrive” and the confusing spoken
word track “Selling the News.” Maybe Switchfoot wants to keep fans guessing, or
keep themselves relevant in the contemporary rock scene, regardless of their
motive, Vice Verses continues to show
the band is willing to change if need be, and no matter what type of change
that may be, it’s at least an attempt to keep things engaging. (www.switchfoot.com)
Grade: C+
Go Download: “Souvenirs”
Blessthefall – Awakening
(Fearless): Just as a reminder, Awakening
is Blessthefall’s third album. Yes, the band released an album entitled Witness in 2009. That reminder will be
increasingly necessary with each track listeners delve into off of Awakening because this album is good
enough to make you forget every BTF release not named His Last Walk. Sure, Witness has
its merits, but rest assured it’s not this. With Awakening, there is a lot to like, and even more that will remind
fans of how good BTF can be. The riffing is sick, and it’s clear that the band
has rediscovered their technical guitar prowess (welcome to the fold guitarist
Elliott Gruenberg), and the vocal delivery and execution of frontman Beau Bokan
is thoroughly focused, and his ability to transition in and out of clean
singing and guttural screams is remarkable. Hell, Awakening might just be his coming out party, as it’s clearly the
best vocals he’s brought to the table since taking the mic from Craig Mabbit.
“Bottomfeeder” and “I’m Bad News, In the Best Way” are two of the best cuts off
the record, though they aren’t the only noteworthy outings to be sure
(“Promised Ones,” “Don’t Say Goodbye”). Awakening
is solid when the band remains true to a mixture of all things heavy and
melodic, and suffers when things stray off into a tangent and wander too far to
one end, as is the case of the closing tracks “Flatline” and “Meet Me at the
Gates,” with the latter track clocking in at seven minutes for one reason or
another. Regardless of its shortcomings, Awakening
is easily a case of the pros outweighing the cons, and is a record that put
this band back on the map of scenesters everywhere. (www.facebook.com/blessthefall)
Grade: B
Go Download: “I’m Bad News, In the Best Way”
The Life and Times - No
One Loves You Like I Do (SlimStyle Records): No One Loves You Like I Do, the latest trip from space-rockers the
Life and Times, finds the band picking up literally where they left off on
2009’s Tragic Boogie, delivering a
heaping dose of ethereal rock spaceiness, complete with more post-rock shoegaze
introspections laced with tingly keyboards than you can handle. Songs like the
slow-burn “Day Twelve” and seemingly post-everything “Day Six” dot the I’s and
cross the T’s on No One Loves You Like I
Do, driving home the fact that they’re not many bands that possess the swagger
and the chops of the Life and Times. The album closer, “Day Eight,” is another
noteworthy track, one that simply engulfs listeners with mountainous sounds and
stirring progressions. Clearly, it’s not to be missed. No One Loves You Like I Do does have its pitfalls, as even though
all of this noise is cool and all, it’s ugly when it’s unfocused. One such
instance is the meandering “Day Five,” which plays as a funeral dirge that
doesn’t really go anywhere. Still, even though No One Loves You Like I Do lacks during its slowest moments, this
is still a good record, one perhaps not many bands could pull off. (www.thelifeandtimes.com)
Grade: B
Go Download: “Day Eight”
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