Beartooth : "the Surface'

The band's fifth album finds them leaning more into grooves and hooks , which in many ways plays to their favor. The feel like they are attempting to fill the void left by Issues in this regard. How it plays against them is the album sounds more like the other post-Myspace bands that straddle the fence between post-scene core and nu-metal. The first two songs find this working really well. I do not begin to doubt the formula until "Doubt Me" which sounds like the Used writing entrance music for wrestlers.  They regain the pop like sense of groove for the more dynamic "the Better Me" . 

What is impressive is how in this world of focus group tested assembly line pop, the singer Caleb Shomo produced this album himself rather than being assigned a team of producers by the record company. "Might Love Myself" works off a familiar formula where vocals are given more room to emote on the verses that contract the mix, before the chorus gets louder expanding it. This might not be the most original album I have heard, but it is incredibly effective at creating hooky music. It becomes hard to decide if this is pop or rock. When it comes to "Sunshine" things are too pop punk on the verses for my personal tastes when comes to the chorus. There are some more convincing heavy riffs, but the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. 

The screamed vocals do not bring anything new to the table. The heavier parts to "What's Killing You" is like most commercial metal core with the more melodic verses dipping into their pop sensibilities. The ballad "Look the Other Way' feels kinda dialed in. The album begins to lose it's momentum thanks to taking more of a pop punk turn, then "My New Reality" gets things on a more effective course. "I Was Alive' kind of splits the difference between the two sides of the band, though the chorus is a little too anthemic for me. I will give this album an 8.5, it might need time to grow on me. It's really well done, most of my qualms are matters of taste and it being too happy for me, but you might be more into this sort of thing.