the Amity Affliction : "Not Without My Ghosts"

Seems like there is a bunch of these metal core band releasing albums. Their 8th album finds the band following the same path they have been on since High School. Australian metal core sounds no different from the American version. The first song seems to be about guns. It works for what it is.  I really have not listened to these guys outside of their contributions to the Punk Goes Pop series of albums. They are pretty par for the course, on the opening track they prove they can write a song, so I am concerned the second song feels like it's dialed in already. The synths are really dominate in the mix. This might create a more cinematic sound but not a heavier one. 

The next thing I know I am on "Death and the Setting Sun" . When Andrew from Comeback Kid, shows up for it, the hooks sounds like Blink 182. Rapper Louie Knuxx shows up for the syncopated chug fest that is "I See Dead People". The results are underwhelming. The weird electro tinged breakdown works pretty well though. Landon Tewers from the Plot in You, shows up for " When It Rains in Pours" but the results are not that much different from any one who has already put in an appearance. Everything is pretty middle of the road going into "the Big Sleep" . While it is more solidly written with a better balance of the melodic elements introduced into the song to create a somewhat darker mood, it is also not reinventing the wheel for these guys either. 

"Close to Me' is not a cover of the Cure, nor do I want to think about what that would sound like. It charges full speed ahead, with the moment of melody in the passenger seat . Melodic is not always the color that makes the best picture for these guys as they have melodies in "God Voice" and ends up making them the Def Leppard of metal core. There a decent chug here and there, but the rule with us is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. The title track closes the album out. It is moodier for sure. Singer Phem who guests on the track, is pretty much everything you should have about social media and the rise of the influencer it has created, which speaks volumes about the band to choose her for this. She sounds like a little girl, and shows no vocal power. I will give this album an 8, it's well constructed and produced by a professional band, but I am not always buying the manufactured catharsis they are trying to sell here.