Polar : " everything, everywhere"

When something gets labelled post- hardcore, there is always a risk that they are going to use the term to try and sway you from the fact the band is really going to be Myspace metal. Post-hardcore, could be few different things along the lines of any of the bands that took what Husker Du was doing with more melodic and sonic sounds. Anything from Hum to Jawbreaker could fall within these bounds. Using it to describe emo arena rock does not work. The first three songs from this British band work off a formula that makes what they do so interchangeable I can tell the first three songs apart. It is melodic and well produced but sounds like 30 Seconds to Mars with screamed vocals and big choruses.  

The title track highlights the big problem with this sort of things is that it lacks six degrees of separation from pop punk. Did that work with bands like Taking Back Sunday and Thursday? Yes, but that was also over twenty years ago. '"the Greatest Sin" shows how they flirt with djent and prove what I have been saying all along that djent is the new nu-metal. "Rush" has a more melodic edge that teases elements of pop, which work better than trying to be tough and heavy, which this kind of music is not going to succeed at 90 percent of the time as long as pop punk is in its DNA. Much like nu-metal once we get to "Dissolve Me" things begin to take on a more uniform bounce. It's a snapshot at where metal has gone post-Pantera.

The way the palm muted chugs hit it's hard to think this can be though as post anything. Nu-metal is due for another revival which is something these guys should have embraced as it is a more accurate depiction of what they do. I think if they did this perhaps it might give in to the darker elements of that genre.  "Snakes of Eden" tries to go big on the chorus and it does not work. This album does have it's moments so I will give it a 7.5, not my thing, but they are generally good at what they do , I think the main problem is being clear on what it is they are doing.