Blessthefall “witness” album review
The rise of the hard music scene in popularity has given birth to hundreds of mediocre metal/hardcore bands that sound exactly the same. That being said, it really takes something to set a band apart in such a saturated genre. Bands like Underoath and August Burns Red have set the bar pretty high.
Blessthefall’s new album Witness is right in the center of this genre but has it’s head slightly above the sea of mediocrity. After seeing several hardcore bands live (who shall remain unnamed for now), I’ve realized that the influence of Autotune in production has effectively spanned all genres. Thus, one does not need to have a solid voice to make a great record. However, Beau’s tone and melodies are great and it’s easy to tell that his singing voice is solid. The chorus of “Hey Baby, here’s that song you wanted” is a great example. The catchiness of this song could even make it radio-worthy.
A complaint that I often have with hard music is that there’s not enough space created in the music to make it as dynamic and powerful as this genre is meant to be. By the end of many albums, you feel like you’re listening to the same breakdowns over and over again. While there could be more space in Witness, the variety in their songs fends off boredom pretty effectively.
It’s pretty hard to tell where these guys stand with their message/music/mission. While “What’s Left of Me” could easily be a song of redemption and salvation, mild profanity (included barely bleeped-out f-bombs) are occasional. Unfortunately, this will be a deal-breaker for many listeners. There is certainly some good lyrical content though (see above). With the clever title, “God Wears Gucci” seems to be a song on religious hypocrisy. It’s just that some songs exhibit redemption, and some exhibit nothing but angst and hopelessness. I guess we’ll each be drawing our own conclusions as to where they stand and what they’re trying to say.
All in all, Blessthefall is certainly solid in their genre. With enough interesting melodies, parts and variety to keep you listening, we can expect to hear solid tunes and see solid shows from them for a while.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Track Listing:
1. 2.0
2. What’s Left of Me
3. To Hell and Back
4. God Wears Gucci
5. Hey Baby
6. Witness
7. Last One Left
8. Five Ninety
9. We’ll Sleep When We’re Dead
10. Skinwalkers
11. You Deserve Nothing and I Hope You Get Less
12. Stay Still
Written by: Jamin Cousins
Published by: David Hitchcock
One Response to “Blessthefall “witness” album review”
- May 1st, 2010 at 7:27 pm