If these guys did not do Rhea Ripley's entrance music, I would probably not review this album, as I have been less than impressed with their arena-ready nu-metal dressed up as goth. So here ya go, Rhea, I'm doing this for you. The title track is what I expect from them, but it does have a groove and the massive sound that finds them headlining at festivals. The sung vocal hook is predictable but works for what they do. It has the big breakdown that is heavier than you might guess these guys get, unless you are a fan, then you know what to expect here. The second song has more electronic elements in play, but when the verse really kicks in, it's along the lines of Linkin Park, but with a more emotive vocal that goth kids might like. However, the anthemic chorus jsut sucks. It's kind of a crucial thing to go too commercial with, as it shits on the other cool stuff going on.
Eminem's frequent collaborator Skylar Gray shows up on "R.I.P". She does what she does for Slim Shady, so that is not a surprise. Chris Motionless' voice sounds better than what I have heard from him in the past. "Fight Like Hell" sounds like all the rock festival metalcore bands. To their credit, he sings more often than not, though the chorBut it cerus is kinda dumb; the rapped second verse is better than what I assumed him to be capable of. Though it paints them into the nu-metal corner. Cory Taylor shows up for "Playing God," so there is another nu-metal point on the board. His vocals are pretty dominant, and Chris does a good job of blending with him. They do have a predictable songwriting formula in place. But the masses are stupid and won't notice. Hey, I never said Rhea had the best taste in music.
"All That I've Ever Known" has more of that Linkin Park feel I picked up on earlier.. It also has another big dumb chorus. The singer of Dark Divine shows up on "Blood Rave". This is a more modern take on nu-metal run through a synth wave filter. The hooks are poppy but work for what they are doing. Some elements seem to draw inspiration from the Faint that is very subtle. "Love at First Bite" tries to play into the vampire imagery, but is not far from what a synth wave band like "Gunship" does. Singing by vampires does not mean this is not pop, but lucky for them, I like pop music. "Count Back From Zero" sounds like they are drawing inspiration from Strvngers who were doing this sort of thing almsot a decade ago, ironic that is what this album is called. But Strvngers have not done anything new in a while.
"Blood Pact" is on the more predictable side of metalcore when it's in its heaviest moments, as it sounds like they are more inspired by synth pop. At times, this finds them sounding more like Korn. "Afraid of the Dark" blends the synth wave sounds with the more metal core past of the band. When they try to play heavy, it feels like they are trying too hard and just touching on the most expected tropes/ As expected, they pull off a convincing cover of Cory Hart's "Sunglasses at Night". Motionless does not have the greatest falsetto, but the song works. This album is better than expected. I will give it a 9, feels like Spirit Halloween" if you are a teenager, I can see how this might get you pumpoed for Halloween, but it's not a goth album.
No comments:
Post a Comment