REVIEWS
ALBUMS
Afterlife “Breaking Point” Following their 2017 debut EP and a signing with Hopeless Records, Afterlife have released their long awaited debut full-length album, “Breaking Point.” While the band have done some experimentation on the record, there are still moments throughout it that are a bit reminiscent of the band’s previous material. “New Rage,” “Throat,” “PSA,” and the title track “Breaking Point” all show the band’s nu-metal roots in the dark, dirty instrumentals and harsher vocals, while mixing in the more hip-hop and rap leaning elements of their sound here and there. Songs like “Holding On” and “Giving Back The Pain” do the polar opposite, focusing a lot more on those influences and more melodic elements, while incorporating a bit of aggression as well. Some of the best tracks found on the album are ones that see the band branching out from those influences a little bit and doing something different. One example is the fantastic closer, “Broken Home,” which does add in some of the hip hop influences, but overall, it’s easily the most melodic one on here. It brings a huge chorus with a lot of emotion in the shouted vocals, delivering some great melodies. I thought “Breaking Point” as a whole was a pretty good record that shows the band not only incorporating elements from their previous material, but also really focusing on certain influences and incorporating those into their music, while experimenting with new ones as well. Born Of Osiris “The Simulation” While I hadn’t really listened to Born Of Osiris in the past, I listened to their latest release, “The Simulation,” and was blown away after hearing it. Lead single “The Accursed” kicks things off, with a big intro driven by electronics, energetic drums, and chugging guitar and bass riffs that continue during the verses. The intro on the track that follows, “Disconnectome,” has another huge intro with a great build to it. The guitars and drums on here are chaotic, which I really enjoyed about the track, and the tempo changes throughout it really caught my attention. The beginning of ‘Cycles Of Tragedy” is similar to that of the track before it, with more impressive guitars and drum work. The melodic chorus on here gives the track a bit of balance, and something about the harsher vocal performance made it really stand out to me. Closing out the first half is my favorite track on the record, “Under The Gun,” which is easily the most melodic one on the record. This track, and the fast paced “Analogs In A Cell” both have a great mix of those more melodic elements and the much heavier ones, especially as far as the vocals go. “Silence The Echo” brings more impressive instrumentals and a huge, powerful and emotional chorus similar to the one in “Circles Of Tragedy,” and the closing track “One Without The Other” brings tempo changes much like those in the opener, bringing a lot of unexpected twists and turns to finish out the record well. I thought this record was great, and as someone who never really listened to this band in the past, I will confidently say that this record shows how they stand out in the metalcore genre and has made me a fan. Hi, Mom! “Songs For Me” Hi, Mom! are a band I’d heard nothing but good things about in the past, so I was excited to check out their debut record, “Songs For Me,” and I really liked the songs they had to offer on here. Opener “Apathy and Mediocrity” and singles “Song For Me” and “Coping Lessons” all bring pounding drums, catchy riffs, and memorable melodies, especially during their pre-choruses and choruses. While tracks such as these (as well as the upbeat “People Like You” and “Maybe It’s Too Much To Ask”) show the more pop punk side of the band’s sound, others, such as the darker “Separation” and equally catchy “Say A Prayer” sound a bit more reminiscent of emo and/or alternative music, and “Leave The Light On” fuses it all together. A couple major standouts lie in some of the remaining tracks on the record, “No Room For Love” and closer “Little Birds (Worth Remembering),” both of which are a lot more ambient. I thought this record was great. I love how the band incorporates influences of other subgenres of rock into their pop punk sound and found the record overall to be an enjoyable listen. EPs Cardinals “Cardinals” Cardinals have dropped their self-titled release. It’s unfortunately their last one as a band, but the first one I’d ever heard from them, and it was a great first impression. Catchy hooks open the opener “Anymore,” while the instrumentals come in during the chorus and bring a lot of energy to the track. Tracks like “Everybody,” “Remission, and the pop punk leaning “In The Dust” continue to bring that energy, and the first two of those threee also incorporate some darker composition, which made both tracks really stand out to me. “Montreal” and “Breathe” both slow things down to give the EP a refreshing change of pace, but also both eventually build up to become bigger and more anthemic tracks as the vocals get louder and the instrumentals really kick in. The vocals shine a lot on the acoustically driven “Something To Cry About,” as well, delivering some really catchy melodies, and the record finishes out strong with the hard hitting closer More Than Ever Before.” I thought this was a really fantastic EP. I love how the band mixes different influences of alternative rock and pop punk and they did it so well, creating a noteworthy release. Chapter & Verse “Glow” “The Casket” starts out with softer, cleaner guitars that give the song an ambient and atmospheric vibe. The vocals are pretty soft too but that simple instrumentation allows them to still show off. After that first chorus, the full band comes in, firing on all cylinders and showing off their individual talents. The instrumentals are huge and the vocals show a lot more passion from this point onwards. “Magazines” and “A Devil In Blue” are both much more energetic right off the bat bringing some impressive instrumentals and charismatic vocals. “Eleven Hours In Real Time” is one that I felt was really strong instrumentally as well, with the bass showing off as it pairs with the drums and cleaner guitars to drive the verses. The pre-chorus and chorus are a lot more hard hitting and the melodies really grab your attention. Closing out the EP is the lead single “Ink,” one of my favorites on here. The guitars in the beginning are reminiscent of those in the opening track, and the generally softer instrumentals allow the vocals to truly shine, delivering another captivating performance.I found “Glow” to be a pretty interesting listen, especially considering I haven’t really heard many bands that sound like Chapter & Verse. I thought the sound of this EP was really unique, and love how all of the elements that make up that sound shine throughout all of the songs that this EP has to offer. Offended By Everything “Evergreen” Offended By Everything are a band whose music I had been meaning to check out for a really long time, and I finally did with their latest EP, “Evergreen.” The EP starts off strong with my personal favorite track on it, “Deadweight,” showing some more raw vocals and a lot of emotion and aggression in general, especially during the bridge, through not only screamed vocals and a breakdown, but also a striking spoken word section. “I’m Gone” brings some fantastic drumming in the beginning, and allows the vocals to shine all throughout, delivering memorable melodies, and the title track “Evergreen” does the same thing. “You Call It Normal, I Call It Monotony” starts out with acoustic guitar, until harder instrumentals come in almost out of nowhere, and bring more impressive performances both instrumentally and vocally, and closing track the first time finishes the EP out on a very energetic note, delivers the catchiest melodies offered on the entire release, and every performance on here is really strong. I think that “Evergreen” is a solid pop punk EP from Offended By Everything, and it only gets better and better as it continues.
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