First Impressions
This was an incredible surprise. I had never heard about this band at all, and from what I see they are not too well known which is quite unfortunate. Because this album is one of the most unique sounding I have come across in a long while.
Now, when I say unique, I don't mean this album is incredibly experimental with it's sound or it explores ideas I haven't heard before. Truth be told this is pretty much a slightly progified punk/emo album. It has a lot of the tropes we love from those genres. But it's the way it's put together that makes it incredibly unique. While it does have that emo flavor to it, this is a borderline acoustic album at some points. But then it also has a lot of funk elements. I really have not heard much like it.
There are some points where it almost sounds like gypsy jazz/flamenco with how fast and flashy the acoustic guitar can get. This is something I did not know I needed in a prog metal album. The intro track The World Is Born Of Flame is especially good at this, and though it is clearly meant to set the stage for the rest of the record, it was one of my favorite tracks here.
There were so many songs that caught me off guard by how much I enjoyed them. The first half of this album is pretty much packed with nothing but bangers all the way throughout.
The Title track is a perfect blast of dark energy. I love when a good intro is followed by the most representative song of the album. And they do it so well here. Right off the bat, I've you have ever listened to Coheed And Cambria's material, this will sound pretty much like their peak era with an acoustic flare to it. And I love how it's more natural and organic sounds contrast with the super fast tremolo riffs.
All That Remains is honestly an incredible ballad that still holds a lot of energy. The verse and chorus sound deliciously melancholic in that faux suffering emo tends to bring. Though if you do not like the typical "emo" singing, you might really dislike Joey Eppard's voice here. It's at a pretty tame level most of the time, but he really hams it in here. I personally do not have a problem with this kind of singing, in fact I would say his voice was one of my favorite aspects of this song and the entire album in general.
The best song of the album for me was absolutely My Divided Falling. From the very start I knew this was gonna be good. The bassline that introduces us to the main riff is incredible. Fast, funky, almost danceable. And then they drop you into a more simplified version of it when the guitars some in. From there, this is pretty much the only straight metal song of the album. It reminds me a lot of Circus Maximus with it's super dry but driving verse. And the chorus is super unique once again. Having less energy than you'd expect, but still managing to be rewarding. It's delicious.
Serpents in Disguise marks the last song of the "masterpiece" part of the album for me. It's a more traditional poppy punk song, but it's filled with such good melodies and energy. Once again, a lot of Coheed and Cambria vibes. The ending bit is by far my favorite part. They lean so much into the same four notes and their melody, it's almost to the point where it could get annoying, but they way they do it just works so well.
After this, I do think the album takes a bit of a dive. The second half is not bad by any means, but I do think it's quality is nowhere near the first six tracks. The energy goes down, and they lean much more towards the acoustic side of things. While they are still good, I think when stripped of the more aggressive elements, it produces less interesting songs and they almost start to blend together a bit. Been To The Future, Live Entertainment and Shadow Play are songs I honestly could have done without.
Of course, there are still some good elements here. Bleeding Me Home has a really good build to it's chorus. It's one of the more cathartic moments of the album. Diamond in the Crush is very funky, almost reminds me of something The Aristocrats would do with it's old-school rocking main riff and the solo at the end.
And the one song that does reach the greatness of the songs in the first half if These Iron Bones. THIS song is incredible, so dramatic in the best of ways. The sweet falsetto singing in the prechorus, and the chorus with the guitar doing a counter melody to the vocals just seal the deal in making this a climactic finish to the album.
Or at least it WOULD be if it was the last song of the album. Honestly, I wish it would have been. The Last Day was a really underwhelming finisher if you ask me. I understand it's very dark and subdued, but after These Iron Bones it just couldn't follow up in my eyes.
This album was a breath of fresh air. And while not every single song blew me away. I'm surprised by how good this was. I love when an obscure recommendation clicks with me like this.
Ranking
My Divided Falling
Serpents in Disguise
All That Remains
These Iron Bones
The End Is Begun
The World Is Born of Flame
Bleeding Me Home
Diamond in the Crush
Battle Cry
Been To The Future
Live Entertainment
The Last Day
Shadow Play
Rating
7.5/10