A Day to Remember have acquired more and more fans as each month has gone, by getting places on tours with New Found Glory and other such bands, and this album proves why. “Old Record“ is a re-release of ADTR’s first album, “And Their Name Was Treason”. For those who bought the later released version of “For Those Who Have Heart”, ADTR’s sophomore effort, you will recognise tracks like Heartless and You Should’ve Killed Me When You Had the Chance. Heartless is a brilliant opening track, as it pulls you in and balances throaty with pop-punk- style, clean vocals and has a rather over the top breakdown halfway through where there is in fact a countdown. This track sets the style for the entire album, so if you’re already an ADTR fan, you won’t be disappointed. Personally Heartless and You Should’ve Killed Me When You Had the Chance stand out, but I had previously heard these and fallen in love with them. “Old Record” features the beautiful acoustic track You Had Me At Hello which breaks the album up very nicely as the following track, 1958 is one of the heaviest on the album, featuring some killer riffs, throaty screams and bludgeoning double bass.
“Old Record” shows where this band came from and what they evolved into. It demonstrates their potential and is well worth a listen. Unlike some bands that re-release early albums, this album is of the same quality as the band’s current work and effectively enriches their catalogue of brutally hard verses and gentle choruses. If you’re a fan of pop-punk/hardcore, then definitely check this out. BC
"Old Record" out now on Victory Records.
Bring Me The Horizon’s debut, released a couple of years ago now, “This is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For”, was impressive. Two years on, they’ve released their second album, “Suicide Season”. Before hearing this album, fans were slightly cautious. The so-called ‘scene’ has always been divided on BMTH, either loving or hating them. However, on playing the album, The Comedown and Chelsea Smile just jump out. These two tracks are quite different from the previous albums, which had roots very much in metal, with a strong The Black Dahlia Murder feel to them. The new tracks are more reminiscing of Bury Your Dead’s sound: more chunky and melodic, with Sykes- vocals- combining desperate shouting with his usual throaty roar. The guitar work, too, is very different and sways more on melodic chords than riffs, as on the previous album. You’ll find no pinched harmonic squeals here.
After the initial two tracks, the album slows down with It Was Written In Blood and has an almost creepy feel to it which then piles straight into Death Breath, which again has much more melody and cleaner vocals than previous BMTH songs. Next up is Football Season Is Over, which is a pure two minute thrash out which has similar riffs to the previous album going up scales but does feature a break mid song with clean vocals focusing around drinking. Track 7 of Suicide Season starts with the repeated lines, ‘we will never sleep, cause sleep is for the weak’, which sets the mood for Sykes’ true fierce vocals bellowing out, melodic element still present. The Sadness Will Never End is a first for BMTH. Mid-way through the song, the chorus features clean vocals and shows BMTH are expanding their style even more; perhaps moving away from the purely metal element, more on the lines of Underoath’s catchier songs. Track 9 is almost certainly the heaviest track of the album, even clocking in at one minute. Lastly the title track of the album, Suicide Season. This track again is very melodic and will stick in your mind very quickly. You immediately hear the anger in the vocals and this is transferred when the screaming guitars come in.
Overall, “Suicide Season” is a more accessible album than “Count Your Blessings”. The band has matured and the tracks reflect a more considered musical sound, with better production. The Swedish recording influence is particularly heard on the stunning title track with the inclusion of more ambient elements amplifying the emotion of the track. The attitude and aggression, characteristics of BMTH’s earlier work, are still prominent but some of the tempo changes, breaks and cliché scene sounds are toned down. BC
"Suicide Season" out now on Epitaph.
The guitar work on “Life Is Not a Waiting Room” is impressive with ex-Midtown guitarist Heath Saraceno and current Garrett Zablocki working perfectly in harmony, giving a similar overall sound as “Still Searching”, although with a harder edge on tracks such as Lung Like Gallows and Wolves at the Door. Both include Heath giving a more metallic throaty scream, compared to previous back up vocalist Mike Glita, who recently left the band.
Lyrically this album has similar values as their previous material, where vocalist Buddy focuses on addiction, lack of family (clearly illustrated in Family Tradition), suicide, death and past relationships. Buddy pulls this off very well as his vocals sound truly heartfelt, and this time round has found a new diversity in his vocal range, successfully blurring the lyrical monotony. A particular highlight, however, is the ending of both “Four Years” and “Yellow Angels”, with the haunting gang lines of ‘Wake up you’re sleeping, you’re sleeping behind the wheel’. This was definitely one of the first parts of the album to truly capture the listener, although every song on this album is catchy and could easily be released as a single.
Overall, this album is yet another leap from the bands early releases, moving away from the overpopulated ‘emo’ genre, adding a faster, more intense and harder sound. Is this due to a slight line-up change? Either way, this suits the band exceedingly well. Old fans, and new alike, will be satisfied with “Life Is Not a Waiting Room”. If you’re a fan of the screamo/post-hardcore/pop-punk scene, then you will probably love this. BC
"Life Is Not A Waiting Room" out now on Vagrant.
