Hopesfall : "Arbiter"

I have never really paid any attention to these guys , but a friend told me Hopesfall just put out a new Hum album. While I can hear that in the guitars, the vocals are more of a throaty scream when it opens , the Hum like vocals don't come in until what might be the chorus. The pace picks up for the second song , it's almost more Helmet like. The melodic sections it ebbs down into fall into place in a similar fashion as what the Deftones are known for though less dark and brooding. "Bradley Fighting Vehicle" could easily be Cave In or many of those bands from that era. These guys sound pretty genuine in what they are doing, so I am not admonishing their love for the 90s. Even though this recalls the days of Myspace when it comes to how the vocals are shouted out, it's better for the atmospheric guitars as it gives their overall sound more grit.

"C.S Luckyone" has the vocals expanding their croon beyond the plaintive slacker rock. The riffs have a more angular modern rock touch as the drums groove behind them. "I Catapult" devolves into the kind of Jimmy Eat World middle of the road rock that I typically try to avoid.  This kind of runs  into "Tunguska" which is more dynamically and a better written endeavor.  "Aphelion" at a minute an a half if more of an interlude than really allowed to mature into the kind of fully fleshed dynamic piece most of these songs are.  "Drowning Potential" might default to the good cop / bad cop dynamic made popular in the 90s, but it's well done here with a balance of angry stomping and atmosphere.

"To Bloom" works of ambiance set against a solid groove. The guitars provide a big explosive backdrop to propel it. The last song is not far from what they have been doing for the bulk of the album, more melodic than aggressive, it has a syncopation that keeps it moving forward. I'll give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me , some of the songs kinda run from one another, with punchy moments the only things separating them, I think this is a mature step forward for this band.