I have to admit that I'm a bit out of my comfort zone with this review. I usually like my music more on the melodic side, so I was a bit afraid when I found out that Every Time I Die is some sort of a metalcore band. Lucky for me it wasn't that simple. Their music can be described as a mix of The Wildhearts' use of pop melodies blended with heavy riffs, the ADHD feel of System Of A Down crusted with so in your face lyrics, it's sure to put a smile on your face. All this wrapped up in a metalcore package.
After the first two songs I was thinking to myself that this is an easy review, I can just bash this as just another Metalcore album, with no innovations what so ever. Then came the song "Leatherneck". The beginning of the song reminds me of the more wacko side of System Of A Down (you know, the parts that the guitar player Daron Malakian sings). And things really go awal from here on. I'm lost. It isn't just another metalcore album that I could bash and move on to something more interesting. Every Time I Die surely mixes many styles into one. They've got their emo bits, punk rockers and southern rock, but the question is how well these are blended together to make a unified sound throughout the album. And here ETID partially fails. The album lasts only for 36 minutes and during that time we are blasted with loud metalcore, fast beats and lots of different styles. It's bound to be a bit chaotic. Maybe the album could have used a bit more pacing. As we all need to breathe, a couple of lower tempo, or other way lighter songs, in the middle would have given this album more room to breathe. With this heavy and fast pacing it makes you feel like you have been hit by a train and after hearing the album no tracks really stand out. It's just a massive wall of sound that hits you over.
The singer Keith Buckley mixes clean pop punk vocals with metalcore growls, but there clearly is a huge amount of irony and in your face humour to be discovered in the lyrics. "I've got a wife and kids and a hybrid car, I've got a good life. I can't risk loose it" says the hero in the song called "Rebel Without Applause". Sadly the growling vocals make the lyrics a bit hard to follow as I'm sure that there is more to it that I can grasp.
This one surely is a mixed bad. They are one of the most original bands I have heard in a while, but it doesn't deliver as a whole. There is too much stuffed into the mere 36 minutes. The lyrics are awesome, that is in those parts that I can actually understand (note the growling). If you're a fan of The Wildhearts or SOAD and don't mind some metalcore I recommend to check this out, it surely won't leave you cold. Also if you're already familiar with the band, you pretty much know what you'll get and it won't disappoint you.
Track Listing: 01. No Son of Mine02. Pigs Is Pigs03. Leatherneck04. Werewolf05. Rebel Without Applause06. Cities and Years07. Rendez-Voodoo08. A Gentlemans Sport09. Inrihab10. Depressionista11. Buffalo Gals12. Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery
I have to admit that I'm a bit out of my comfort zone with this review. I usually like my music more on the melodic side, so I was a bit afraid when I found out that Every Time I Die is some sort of a metalcore band. Lucky for me it wasn't that simple. Their music can be described as a mix of The Wildhearts' use of pop melodies blended with heavy riffs, the ADHD feel of System Of A Down crusted with so in your face lyrics, it's sure to put a smile on your face. All this wrapped up in a metalcore package.
After the first two songs I was thinking to myself that this is an easy review, I can just bash this as just another Metalcore album, with no innovations what so ever. Then came the song "Leatherneck". The beginning of the song reminds me of the more wacko side of System Of A Down (you know, the parts that the guitar player Daron Malakian sings). And things really go awal from here on. I'm lost. It isn't just another metalcore album that I could bash and move on to something more interesting. Every Time I Die surely mixes many styles into one. They've got their emo bits, punk rockers and southern rock, but the question is how well these are blended together to make a unified sound throughout the album. And here ETID partially fails. The album lasts only for 36 minutes and during that time we are blasted with loud metalcore, fast beats and lots of different styles. It's bound to be a bit chaotic. Maybe the album could have used a bit more pacing. As we all need to breathe, a couple of lower tempo, or other way lighter songs, in the middle would have given this album more room to breathe. With this heavy and fast pacing it makes you feel like you have been hit by a train and after hearing the album no tracks really stand out. It's just a massive wall of sound that hits you over.
The singer Keith Buckley mixes clean pop punk vocals with metalcore growls, but there clearly is a huge amount of irony and in your face humour to be discovered in the lyrics. "I've got a wife and kids and a hybrid car, I've got a good life. I can't risk loose it" says the hero in the song called "Rebel Without Applause". Sadly the growling vocals make the lyrics a bit hard to follow as I'm sure that there is more to it that I can grasp.
This one surely is a mixed bad. They are one of the most original bands I have heard in a while, but it doesn't deliver as a whole. There is too much stuffed into the mere 36 minutes. The lyrics are awesome, that is in those parts that I can actually understand (note the growling). If you're a fan of The Wildhearts or SOAD and don't mind some metalcore I recommend to check this out, it surely won't leave you cold. Also if you're already familiar with the band, you pretty much know what you'll get and it won't disappoint you.
01. No Son of Mine02. Pigs Is Pigs03. Leatherneck04. Werewolf05. Rebel Without Applause06. Cities and Years07. Rendez-Voodoo08. A Gentlemans Sport09. Inrihab10. Depressionista11. Buffalo Gals12. Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery