This marks the German band's 13th release. It falls on the more aggressive side of hard rock, with a bit of a nu-metal bounce in its step. By the second song, the formula is clear, jagged riffs on the verse that is smoothed out by big anthemic choruses and everything is multitracked to get the biggest sound possible. "Happy Birthday You Are Dead to Me" taxes this formula and is grooved out in a darker enough manner that it appeals more to me. Things are more radio-friendly with a slight pop edge on "Levitate". It somehow still works well enough.
"Whirlwind of Doom' hits pretty hard, but the vocal melody that brings the sugar to things feels a lot like other melodies in how it flows into the song. It is still an effective song despite this. In some of their more introspective moments, they remind me of Duran Duran which contrasts the harder end of their spectrum that falls closer to Slipknot. The title track is like a post-punk pop anthem, that falls neatly in the middle of the road. More often than not metal is an influence that keeps things driving rather than something guys are dishing out.
"Sick" is another one of the more pop-leaning songs that rock in the same sonic spectrum as 30 Seconds to Mars, though with the heft of their nu-metal underpinnings. "She Ain't Coming Home No More' shows what this new wave of nu-metal is capable of. It finds the perfect balance of the two dynamics and makes the most of the melody. "Dreams and Debris" coasts on their melodic side which is back in the more Duran Duran realm of what they do.
"Oceans of Grief' is marginally more progressive-minded, with palm-muted guitars bringing a familiar tension to things. The last song "Together" might push things into a more hopeful mood than what I find pleasing to my ears. Lyrically it is also to happy and causes me to reflect on why I do not like bands like Journey who were doing this sort of thing in a different era, though the vocals here are less annoying. Overall while this album might work off a formula it is better than most of the commercial hard rock coming out these days I will give it a 9.
No comments:
Post a Comment