Greeley Estates
From the frantic palm mutes and Norma Jean-esque dissonant chords that kick off album opener “Blue Morning,” it’s easy to tell that Greeley Estates are doing the sort of thing that frankly we’ve all heard other bands do before. However, while it’s easy to pass off this release as just another generic offering of the post-hardcore/pop-punk/whatevercore scene, to do so would be to pass up some rather brilliant moments this record has to offer.
First off, “Blue Morning” is a great example of a song’s composition following its lyrical content. The song is told from the perspective of someone succumbing to a zombie bite (yes, the premise is ridiculous, but we have to take these things for what they are) and warning his loved ones to either quarantine him or run and hide. The tone switches from denial, as vocalist Ryan Zimmerman Wails “I’m not a monster/I’m just a sick man” to acceptance, as he chants “I feel it in my blood now/It’s turning me” over a single melancholy palm muted guitar. The song ends with Zimmerman shrieking “You better lock the doors and hide” as the pounding drums and guitars gradually slow to a near standstill, presumably representing the narrator’s fading heartbeat. It’s a powerful effect that Greeley Estates utilize to its fullest in this track.
Another particularly memorable section happens towards the end of “Go West Young Man”, where the chorus sinks into a shining example of Zimmerman’s distinctive scream, out of which rises a lumbering slow section driven by a rock-flavored pentatonic guitar riff. The second time through, Zimmerman’s vocals are supported by a subtle major key choral harmony, which then suddenly takes over the lead, punctuated by short, bombastic guitar chords. This creates a very stark contrast to the bleak feel of the song without feeling misplaced. It’s a compositional choice that really drives home the fact that post-hardcore doesn’t always have to use the same hackneyed devices.
Another standout section is in “If We’re Going Out Let’s Go Out In Style,” where the prechorus’s ethereal-sounding singing over heavily strummed power chords segues seamlessly into the chorus, where Zimmerman overdubs a nursery rhyme-like melody with some of his most wrenching screams. This sort of juxtaposition highlights something that Greeley Estates do very well: Take things that simply shouldn’t work in this sort of music and then make them work anyway. This specialty is also apparent in the syncopated, almost latin-tinged delivery of the clean vocals Blue Morning.
It’s also worth noting that Greeley Estates’s rhythm section does some seriously catchy work, such as in the bouyant drop D chugging of “Desperate Times Call For Desperate Housewives.” Although he can sound a little bit loose at times, drummer Brian Champ clearly has control of his kit, particularly the double kick. While a skilled drummer is par for the course in this genre, Champ’s drumming takes some unexpected turns, such as the chorus of “Go West Young Man,” where his start-stop drumming has a determined yet tentative quality that parallels the sense of coming-of-age uncertainty that characterizes that track.
There’s plenty of bad along with the good. As evocative as Zimmerman’s screams are, they can become tiresome over the course of the whole album. The album gets repetetive fast, and the glimpses of brilliance that were so common at the beginning seem to become less prevalent as a string of several same-y tracks chug by in the album’s middle. None are outstandingly bad, but neither are they particularly exciting. A notable exception is “Let The Evil Go East” which combines a frantic pace with spastic major-minor key changes to create a song that’s aggressive, catchy, and leaves you with the musical equivalent of whiplash.
The following track, “I Have To Warn You, This Won’t Be Easy” also has an interesting moment where it slows down and the vocals take on a subdued tone before an agile twisting guitar lead takes over and slowly brings the song back up to speed while drawing out the section’s muted feel. Unfortunately, the song ends with a somewhat uninspired breakdown type of thing. Penultimate track “Keep The Heat On The Dash” is also rather interesting in that it seems torn between trying to be anthemic and trying to be melancholy, as a musical tug-of-war ensues between the opening riff and chants, and the subsequent dissonant guitar harmonies. The whole personality struggle ends up leading the song into a cool section that has Zimmerman’s delay-soaked voice ooing and ahhing over guitar harmonics, leading into a pseudo-breakdown and another cascade of cleverly layered vocals.
Closer “You’re Just Somebody I Used To Know” wraps up the album, a fast, fun, simple song, the first half of which I’m fairly sure I heard on Blessthefall’s “His Last Walk.” It’s a solid track, though, which leaves the listener feeling as if the album was more satisfying than it actually was.
In short, “Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East” is a solid album by a solid band that will occasionally turn your head. It’s definitely worth checking out simply for those outstanding moments.
Review By Dylan Gil-Gomez of Sputnikmusic.com
Artist: Greeley Estates
Album: Go West Young Man Let The Evil Go East [2008]
Genre: Emo / Hardcore / Screamo
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/greeleyestates
-Track List-
1. Blue Morning
2. Go West Young Man
3. If We’re Going Out, Let’s Go Out In Style
4. Desperate Times Call For Desperate Housewives
5. If She Only Knew
6. If I Could Be Frank, You’re Ugly
7. In The Ashes
8. Mother Nature Is A Terrorist
9. Let The Evil Go East
10. I’ll Have To Warn You, This Won’t Be Quick
11. There’s Something Wrong With The World Today
12. Keep The Heat On The Dash
13. You’re Just Somebody I Used To Kno
Read MoreTry Album [Mediafire] | Greeley Estates – Go West Young Man Let The Evil Go East
Every Time I Die
In the constantly colliding worlds of emo and hardcore, the overwhelming number of acts has been forcing even established bands to change in order to stay on top. My Chemical Romance launched a rock opera with The Black Parade, and even Avenged Sevenfold are promising a “different sound… something no one expects” on their upcoming LP. Given this atmosphere, it may come as a surprise that Every Time I Die chose not to deviate from their established sound with The Big Dirty. But maybe they had the right idea; why mess with success? Every Time I Die’s dueling guitars are as dirty as the album’s title suggests, grinding and chugging throughout. There are plenty of memorable riffs and some nice harmonizing, as showcased in the fourth track, “We’rewolf.” Stylistic flairs aren’t at the expense of the classic Every Time I Die breakdowns, though, so longtime fans shouldn’t have anything to be disappointed about. In short, the sound is Every Time I Die through and through.
It’s somewhat of a shame that vocalist Keith Buckley’s delivery often makes it hard to discern a lot of his lyrics, because they’re creative, entertaining, and even insightful at times. As far as the content, it generally tends toward Every Time I Die’s usual fare- women, partying, rocking, and kicking ass. The lyrics are a perfect accompaniment to the guitars, and the combination could get even a tranquilized elephant up and moving. Buckley peppers his usual memorable one-liners throughout, wailing “Til death do we rock / We’re so full of shit” on “Depressionista,” “You know I’m no good at court-ordered goodbyes” on “Pigs is Pigs,” and “A pox on your house of cards” on “Rebel Without Applause.” In addition to the content, the lyrics are delivered as only Buckley can, alternating easily between screaming, speaking, and chanting. No new tricks in this department, but no complaints either. Astute Alexisonfire fans will also welcome Dallas Green’s guest vocals on “INRIhab.”
The Big Dirty doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises, but it is by no means a disappointment. The songs are cohesive and the album flows effortlessly. Most of the songs chug along at similar tempos, so a little variation would have been a welcome change. However, slowing down seems to run against Every Time I Die’s philosophy of nonstop rock. There’s nothing wrong with this, as it is what they do best. The album is refreshingly devoid of poor songs, and favorites would be hard to discern. The Big Dirty is consistently solid, though “Rebel Without Applause,” “We’rewolf,” and the hilarious story of “No Son of Mine” do stand out among the pack. With the exception of “Rendez-Voodoo,” most of the songs have a similar sound, and they often walk a fine line between flowing well and running together. The album’s major shortcoming, though, is its length. Twelve tracks are packed into a mere 36 minutes, which isn’t much of a deviation from other Every Time I Die albums. The only advantage to its (lack of) length is it makes the album an amusing unit of measurement; the round trip to my recent doctor’s appointment was almost exactly two Big Dirties. By contrast, Google Maps estimates my upcoming road trip to North Carolina to be about 11.5 Big Dirties. Yikes.
The Big Dirty is the logical continuation of Every Time I Die’s career; it’s distinct enough to exist on its own, but recognizable as their work. The band doesn’t force unnecessary experimentation, and the music sounds very natural and organic for its style. Every Time I Die keep it refreshingly gimmick free and pack The Big Dirty with what their fans will undoubtedly want to hear. This band is simply here to rock and roll, and The Big Dirty definitely rocks.
Review By AbsolutePunk.net
Artist: Every Time I Die
Album: Discography
Genre: Metal / Hardcore / Southern Rock
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/everytimeidie
-Album List-
Read MoreDOWNLOAD EP: EVERY TIME I DIE – THE BURIAL PLOT BIDDING WAR EP
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: EVERY TIME I DIE – LAST NIGHT IN TOWN
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: EVERY TIME I DIE – HOT DAMN
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: EVERY TIME I DIE – GUTTER PHENOMENON
DOWNLOAD ALBUM: EVERY TIME I DIE – THE BIG DIRTY
DOWNLOAD: EVERY TIME I DIE – “THE MARVELOUS SLUT”
Memphis May Fire
Memphis May Fire is a southern post hardcore band. Prior to “Sleepwalking” which is their first full length, they had released a self-titled EP. With a new album, and new musical direction, and a new singer, MMF is poised to prove that they don’t plan to blend in with every other band in the scene.
While promising, the self-titled was painfully by the numbers and left a lot to be desired. It did have a few things going for it, namely some decent instrumentation and a unique vocalist. It was hindered by it’s short length, predictable formula, and while often well done, the vocals could become grating, particularly in the clean passages. MMF also claimed that there was a southern edge to their music, though on the EP, this was hardly the case. With “Sleepwalking,” they take all of the promise from their self-titled, capitalized on it, and put out a surprisingly good release.
Although the vocalist is new, he certainly bears resemblance to the old one, with high pitched vocals that are well done and on key. The screams are vastly improved as well. This album also delivers on the promise of packing a southern edge. The guitars are distinct, varied, and stray far from the typical chugging of similar acts, and weave seamlessly around the other band elements with some excellent leads and melodies that are unmistakably southern rock tinged.
Opening with North Atlantic Vs. North Carolina, MMF wastes no time in showing off the fact that they know how to play their guitars. The opening riff carries the song into one of its poppiest moments, and the vocalist easily switches between singing and screaming, utilizing both at appropriate times with more than enough ability.
The album really hits its stride with You’re Lucky Its Not 1962, which showcases the band’s capability in playing harder rock right alongside the pop based songs. This is yet another song that has a hard southern rock feel to it. The song climaxes with a slow bridge that leads into an entertaining breakdown.
Quantity Is Their Quality is the seemingly mandatory “socially conscious” track that normally is the pitfall of an album, plagued with cheesy lyrics and preachy douche-baggery. The odd thing is, this isnt a pit fall… by any means. This is one of the best tracks. Starting out heavy and meandering out into clean vocals layered over tremolo picked guitar, which is carried to the end with a downtuned solo that stands out enough without overtaking the other instrument’s presence.
The Name With No Face is yet another highlight, boasting the most powerful and raw screaming on the album. When that’s paired with some nice guitar lines and an intricate solo, the song becomes built into possibly MMF’s best song to date. The clean singing meshes with the screaming in on-off fashion that somehow feels fresh and entertaining, despite its overuse in most other bands.
If Maylene and the Sons of Disaster’s new album was up your alley, then this surely will provide some entertainment. A huge improvement over the EP, and showcasing just how easily a mediocre band can turn into a force to be reckoned with in the scene, “Sleepwalking” is an essential buy for anyone remotely interested in this music genre.
Review By: Sputnik User
Artist: Memphis May Fire
Album: Sleepwalking [2009]
Genre: Hardcore / Rock / Post-Hardcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/memphismayfire
-Track List-
01.North Atlantic Vs North Carolina 03:43
02.A Giant in A Giants World 03:14
03.You’re Lucky It’s Not 1692 03:40
04.Ghost in the Mirror 03:54
05.Been There, Done that 03:29
06.Quantity is Their Quality 03:29
07.Sleepwalking 03:47
08.Destiny for the Willing 03:06
09.The Face with No Name 03:10
10.Speak Now, I’m Listening 03:41
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Bullet For My Valentine
Forgive me if this review seems somewhat bemused; either I was distracted by the Lost message boards while scribbling my notes or Bullet for My Valentine’s newest record, Scream Aim Fire, just couldn’t keep my attention. We’ll just say it’s a combination of both.
I’m one of those people who judge bands by their names. If the name is dull, chances are I won’t check the band out, which is probably why I spent the last couple years ignoring the Welsh metal outfit, Bullet for My Valentine, due to the daft nature of their name. However, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I heard some tracks from their debut album The Poison, released early in 2006. Being a sucker for a good riff, I found The Poison to be entertaining, but not the next Ride the Lightning.
Scream Aim Fire kicks off with the title track, immediately setting the tone of the album with ripping guitar lines and accelerated drum beats. Surprisingly, Matt Tuck doesn’t distort his voice with gruff screaming until the breakdown, instead showcasing his strong vocal talent which is often compared to Metallica’s James Hetfield. “Eye of the Storm” follows along the same lines, with the typical syncopated drum/guitar opening. The guitar work is impressive, offering classic metal influence on the solos and expeditious riffs on almost every other part of the song. However, flashy guitar work is a staple of metal and isn’t anything new. If you want to make it big, you have to offer something new and exciting. “Waking the Dead,” however, offers the much needed attitude to revert my attention away from the computer screen and back to the notebook with powerful guitar riffs and authoritative drums. The band’s arena rock influences are certainly evident on “Hearts Burst Into Fire” and “Deliver Us from Evil.” Both songs (which slightly remind me of Finch, around the What It is to Burn-era) have a largely epic feel and seem to be tailored specifically for the large arenas the band will be playing on this year’s A Taste of Chaos Tour. “Take It Out of Me,” however, wins the award for the best song on the album. Opening with a hint of southern flavor, the song bears a fashionable guitar hook and skillfully transitions into a soft bridge before the intensity builds back up before the song’s denouement. The album closes with the disappointing “Forever and Always,” a song that sounds almost as cheesy as the title.
Bullet for My Valentine aren’t bad any standards. Scream Aim Fire is an album that showcases the band’s meshing of older arena rock influences and modern metal. However, the album lacks attitude. Rhythmically, the band doesn’t offer anything new and exciting; instead they seem to fall back on the same ideas and rhythms that have defined the strong genre lines that few bands are afraid to cross. If I were to give the band some advice, I would advise adding a “presence” to their music. Use some more pinch harmonics. Write drums parts that show some agility. And for Pete’s sake, show some double-kick skills.
All in all, Scream Aim Fire is a rifftacular journey into the world of arena metal. If power ballads are your thing, then you’ll love this album. As for me, however, I’m going to close my notebook and re-watch last night’s episode of Lost.
Review By AbsolutePunk.net
Artist: Bullet For My Valentine
Album: Discography
Genre: Metal / Hardcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bulletformyvalentine
-Album List-
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Punk Goes Pop 2
After hearing “Punk Goes Crunk” last year, I was hoping that the next installation in the “Punk Goes?” compilation series would be “Punk Goes Country,” but I guess I’ll have until next time, because instead they chose to give us a much needed sequel to “Punk Goes Pop.” When viewing the tracklist of this album, it’s ironic that it’s called “Punk Goes Pop” when some of the artists featured on here can actually be considered “pop” bands in the first place (The Cab, Breathe Carolina), and then most others can’t even really be considered “punk.” If anything, when this album features bands like Silverstein, August Burns Red, A Static Lullaby, Chiodos, and Attack Attack!, it should really be called “Screamo Goes Pop.” This album, of course, won’t be receiving a full 5/5 rating because there are just some songs on here that sound as if they were put together within a few hours, but to make up for those, there are some that sound like there was some effort put into them.
Since most of the songs covered in this album were overplayed top 10 radio songs, there is really no need to fear that any of them can be “killed”, or in other words, covered badly, except for Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta” (still a good song, covered by Chiodos), which was added to the tracklisting at the last second. I am not a big Chiodos fan, but this song stood out the most today, as it was a very interesting cover of a song that was already really good.
I always thought that most of Justin Timberlake’s hit songs would actually be interesting to hear covered by a popular rock band, so I was eager to hear Alesana’s take on “What Goes Around.” It was indeed a good listen, not the best, as the screaming seemed unnecessary after it was used a little abundantly, but still one of the better covers on the album.
There were actually some covers on this album that I think turned out better than the original, such as Silverstein’s cover of One Republic’s “Apologize”, A Day To Remember’s cover of The Fray’s “Over My Head (Cable Car)”, and lastly, A Static Lullaby’s entertaining take on Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”
Four Year Strong’s version of Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” Escape the Fate’s cover of Santana’s “Smooth,” Mayday Parade’s cover of the Pussycat Dolls’ “When I Grow Up”, and Breathe Carolina’s cover of Miley Cyrus’s “See You Again” (which would’ve been better if it were ironically covered by Metro Station) were also noteworthy attempts.
On the other hand, The Cab’s “Disturbia” (Rihanna), August Burns Red’s “Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears), Attack Attack!’s “I Kissed a Girl” (Katy Perry), Bayside’s “Beautiful Girls” (Sean Kingston), and There for Tomorrow’s “Ice Box (Omarion)” simply turned out to be somewhat disappointing, in the end making this a compilation with an even mixture of amazing covers, mediocre covers, and terrible covers, which is usually what you’d expect. Hopefully in the next go round, though, it’d be nice to see bands that can really be considered “punk”.
Reviewed by Harvey
Artist: Multi-Artist CD
Album: Punk Goes Pop 2
Genre: Rock / Screamo / Pop Punk / Hardcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/punkgoespop2
-Track List-
01. Alesana – What Goes Around… 4:31
02. Silverstein – Apologize 2:55
03. August Burns Red – …Baby One More Time 3:10
04. Mayday Parade – When I Grow Up 3:38
05. A Day To Remember – Over My Head (Cable Car) 3:31
06. Escape The Fate – Smooth 3:58
07. There For Tomorrow – Ice Box 4:18
08. Chiodos – Flagpole Sitta 3:39
09. Bayside – Beautiful Girls 3:41
10. Breathe Carolina – See You Again 3:23
11. The Cab – Disturbia 4:01
12. A Static Lullaby – Toxic 3:20
13. Four Year Strong – Love Song 3:03
14. Attack Attack! – I Kissed A Girl 3:00
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