Attack Attack! – This Means War
It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at my desk in school, not doing school work. I kept the corner of one eye on the door, keeping watch for teachers, and the rest of me was focused on browsing through YouTube, looking at music videos. It was then that I ignorantly clicked on a video titled “Stick Stickly – Attack Attack!”. My loud laughter distracted the whole room from their school work, and that video instantly became a main source of entertainment during lunch breaks for an entire week.
It’s funny how things change through the years though. I’m not in high school anymore, and lunch breaks aren’t quite what they used to be. And neither is Attack Attack!. After having undergone several lineup changes over the years, if you played a song from their first album next to a song from their latest album, This Means War, you wouldn’t know that it was Attack Attack!. The neon colors and dancey keyboard grooves have been replaced with sparsely placed dubstep and piano runs. The high auto-tune singing vocals are now deeper and have more grit. Simply put, this album turns the disco floor into a bloody mosh pit with its down-tuned and meaty guitar chugs.
The majority of the population will probably agree that this change has been a substantial improvement from their original sound. Improvement does not equal musical progression, however. The new heaviness and direction for Attack Attack! does not innovate music in any way, shape or form. Every song is breakdown-laden and includes catchy, cleanly sung choruses to get you hooked. Their former vocalist, Austin Carlile, was (and is) a much better screamer than current vocalist Caleb Shomo. His screams are tolerable and aren’t bad per se, there just isn’t an outstanding quality to them. I can’t lie to you and say that it’s a terrible album though, because it’s not. This is easily Attack Attack!’s most listenable and replayable album to date, no doubt about it. I find myself singing along to the choruses and banging my head to the often intense breakdowns.
So far I’ve successfully gone through this review without once mentioning Hot Topic or “crabcore”, both of which are exactly what Attack Attack! is usually associated with. I cannot avoid the subject though, because the majority of metal fans will most likely write this off as simply a marketing ploy (i.e., “after realizing the mockery they received in the earlier stages of the band, they switched styles”). I hardly think that. To me This Means War shows that Attack Attack! does want to mature and be taken more seriously. It is by no means original or progressive, but its listenable quality and matured sound gives me more respect for the band. I’ll be expecting a lot more from them in their next release, but in the meantime, I will headbang to this album from time to time.
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171 Comments
January 18th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
After the amount of criticism they received for releasing their first album, I am glad to see that they would like to be taken seriously. Maybe a few albums down the road they can make people forget about their earlier “effort(s)”. Good to see that you gave them an honest chance, Jonathan. Still not anything I would ever choose to listen to, but definitely a huge step up. Nice review.
[Reply to this comment]
Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Thanks man!
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January 18th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Yeah Morgan because your band is soooo much better……..oh wait lol
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Morgan replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
I never said I had a better band but at least I can play more than “chug chug chug”.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
Well hey, atleast there’s really no synth this time around and it’s not just “wub wub wub” lol
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Luke Amos replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
I probably would have given it a 2. Yeah, it’s super generic but I think it has matured in that it isn’t “crabcore”. Specifically the vocals have matured. The cleans don’t make me want to stab my ears. I think if they got a dedicated screamer who wasn’t weak and left the vocalist now to handle cleans, their next album could be decent. I wouldn’t call myself a fan but if they keep this trend going I’ll stop being a hater.
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JDS replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:29 am
I agree. I used to worry that bands like Attack Attack!, I See Stars, and I Set My Friends On Fire would successfully blend metal with a crappy genre of music, attracting ‘casual’ metal fans and people who just like the silly beats. I feared for the audiences of all things heavy.
I just see this as an effort for them to realize they need to suck less. It’s generic but much better than their earlier material, which is pretty God-awful.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:36 am
lol I used to be obsessed with I Set My Friends On Fire when they first came around. How embarressing right?!
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
I’m sorry, but I think the album art is awesome. It’s my background right now.
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KillHipsters replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 11:08 pm
Does it make for awkward discussion when someone looks at your background and thinks your wallpaper is of two phalluses? Even though it is two arms, first impressions are that it looks like two penises. I’m not hating, just curious.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:16 pm
I…never thought it looked like that.
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Achantion replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 4:21 am
I’m using the artwork from Kvelertak’s self titled as background, coolest art I’ve ever seen haha.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 12:05 am
Nice I have 36 Crazyfist’s “A Snowcapped Romance” as my wallpaper. Hope to get a tattoo of that someday
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Jen replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 12:13 am
GREAT ALBUM!
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 12:15 am
I know right?! It’s one of my aboslute favorite albums of all time! They’re so underrated that it gives me irregular bowel movements every time I think about it lol
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 12:15 am
*absolute O.o
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kadafi replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
wow, why your comment not hidden? something wrong is going on )
i’d rate it 3.5/5 btw
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Apparently it’s not hidden because people have a unique interest in my bowels lol And even if it was hidden life would still continue, my friend.
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kadafi replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 5:43 am
i actually replied to jen, her comments always hidden, she hates bands which people like and she likes bands which people hate )
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Haha my bad! Yeah, Jen always gets downvoted. She’s so lucky!
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Gabriel Pio replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Then you should check out more art by John Baizley of Baroness.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Wait, the 36 CF cover art is by him?!
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Achantion replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
John Baizley is really great (Like I said I’m using Kvelertak’s artwork) haha.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 4:17 pm
No, that was directed at Achantion. The amount of replies fugged it up.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Oh haha I see. This thread is all kinds of fudged up lol
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January 18th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
I like this album,but I can only remember a few songs(The Confrontation,The Motivation,The Wrecked),all the others sound pretty much the same,this album lacks of diversity.
Awesome review Jonathan.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
I agree with everything you just said Marcos!
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Thanks Marcos =]
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January 18th, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Dare I say it, I was rather surprised at this, after their previous work. It’s nothing memorable, and I’m damn sure you won’t see this in my top 10 at the end of the year, but it’s okay for what it’s worth.
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January 18th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I’m actually really digging this! That breakdown at the end of “The Motivation”…oh my God hahaha. I hated their last two but I’ll be buying this at their concert next Thursday (I was originally going for The Ghost Inside and Dream On, Dreamer, but I’ll stay for and hopefully enjoy their set now). For me, they more than redeemed themselves
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Glad to hear it Jake C! =]
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Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Just thought id clarify: this is NOT aoty material for me hahaha its fun though and for what it is its actually really good. They executed this sound nicely.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Of course not, won’t be AOTY for me either. haha
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Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
If Dead Poetic ever releases that final album, that will be my aoty in a heartbeat
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
I, the Breather and Hands like Houses are what I’m stoked for.
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Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
I’m stoked for way too much already hahaha:
Hands Like Houses
Palisades
The HARRP Machine
I, The Breather
Impending Doom
Whitechapel
Chelsea Grin
The Plot In You
Before Their Eyes
The Word Alive
Veil Of Maya
I The Breather
King Conquer
Make Me Famous
Stick To Your Guns
I could go on but I think the point has been driven home hahaha
[Reply to this comment]
Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Dead Poetic <3
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Oh Secrets just released an album on Tuesday Jake and it’s not bad
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Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
I have “The Heartless Part”…they’re alright. I’ll probably get it from a friend hahaha
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Clinton replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Haha Clinton they are just called Secrets. Guess I should’ve re-worded my sentence alil bit. You will hate that band so much lol
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Gabriel Pio replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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kadafi replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
absolutely agree
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
And what mallcore band isn’t generic? I like the new Secrets album
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kadafi replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 5:45 am
Alesana for example
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Oh brother lol
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Achantion replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
You missed the word “MALL”core.
Which is just a funny way to say popular, generic, uninspired metalcore.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Lol I didn’t miss the word amd I know exactly what it means. That may be the kind of band Secrets are, but I still like em
kadafi replied:
January 26th, 2012 at 1:45 am
i’d rather recommend u new Saving Joshua’s album Nicholas instead of Secrets’
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 26th, 2012 at 2:18 am
Just checked em out kadafi! Never heard of them before, but I’m liking it. Thanks! The album art is pretty damn cool too
Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 26th, 2012 at 2:35 am
I have a band for you since you gave me one. Check out the album “Behind the Infinite Scenes” by Descend to Rise. Think it came out in 07.
Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 10:13 pm
When they broke up, post-hardcore died a little bit. “New Medicines” is, to me, the best post-hardcore album ever made. They promised one more album but sadly idk if its gonna happen :’( but ima hope. I’m gonna post a guitar cover of “The Dream Club Murders” to YouTube tomorrow
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KaptainK59 replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 3:15 am
+1, back then, when I was in my post-hardcore phase, “New Medicines” was one of my favorites. Today, Dead Poetic, is one of the few bands I keep coming back to.
When it comes to Attack Attack, from what I am reading, the went from awful to decent but generic. I will start caring when (if ever, which I doubt), they start being really interesting
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Post-hardcore with no breakdowns ftw! (Nothing against breakdowns, they’re just overused)
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Whoever downvoyed this should get banned from this site XD jkjk
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Dustin replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
ITB is AWESOME
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Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Who the hell downvoted this? Hahaha I The Breather is fuckin sick!
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:32 am
I know! I can’t wait for their new album! Dead Poetic’s “Vices” is my absolute favorite by the band. I have to admit I didn’t like it at first, but the more I listened to it the more it became such a huge part of my life. It was definately a more mature change of pace for the band, but that record is fucking timeless. Jake have you ever listened to the album “Learning to Accept Silence” by In Pieces? It came out in like 2002 and it had elements of Hopesfall and Dead Poetic. I think it’s right down your alley!
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:41 am
Conditions (instrumentally, they’re similar to dp, not really vocally) and Saosin are currently filling my new Dead Poetic void (albeit not as well as that final dp album would) hahaha my favorite is “New Medicines”. “Vices” is an amazing album but I have a hard time listening to a lot of the songs on their own :/ and thanks for the heads up about In Pieces! I’ll have ta check them out.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:50 am
Np man! I couldn’t get into Conditions like I thought I would. I loved the instruments, but the vocals just weren’t my thing. I like a few of Saosin’s albums. Listened to them alot during my Armor for Sleep, Classic Case, and So They Say phase. Oh also check out “The Unveiling” by Cry of the Afflicted, “I, Lucifer” by Destroy the Runner, and “Safety in the Sea” by Sever Your Ties. Sorry I listed so many, but all those albums have Dead Poetic influences written all over them. Think they’re all on the same label DP were on
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:56 am
I actually have I, Lucifer and The Unveiling
I like the Unveiling more than I Lucifer.
I would’ve put Dead Poetic more along the lines of Saosin or Secret & Whisper than Destroy The Runner. But yeah, I love all those albums you listed hahaha
Secret & Whisper’s first album was fantastic. They need to come back.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:02 am
Haha I was gonna ask you about Secret & Whisper. I love both of their albums and their old bands Stutterfly and The Bleeding Alarm! Oh I think some of the members are in a band called Shreddy Kruegar haha Erra’s “Impulse” features some Secret & Whisper-esque cleans in it, but that’s the closest thing to them I can think of right now. Well maybe My Epic would be a good comparison!
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:06 am
I think the clean singer for Erra sounds very unique (I’ve followed them since the first ep hahaha everyone else is catching up now XD). Same for S&W, they’re both very much unique voices.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:13 am
Nice! I’ve been following Erra as well. I love both of their EP’s. I think they released one of them under the moniker Andromeda and then re-released under the name Erra and their EP was then called Andromeda. A while ago, I was obsessed with Stutterfly and The Bleading Alarm and when I heard they broke up I was destroyed. Then I found out that the lead singer of the Bleading Alarm hooked up with the dudes from Stutterfly and were “quietly” cranking out some songs. Guess that’s where they got the name Secret & Whisper from lol If you like their style check out the band Cromwell. They’re kinda like S&W mixed with old Framing Hanley.
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:18 am
As far as I know they were always Erra. Andromeda was EP #2 and Erra was EP #1
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:29 am
I think you’re right haha I have it mislabled in my amazon cloud player. Think I bought the amazon mp3 version of the album off amazon in Dec 2010 and it was mislabled. Then I saved it in my cloud player the same way and I read a review on “Impulse” from somewhere and it said they changed their name. But they were talking about a different band. Like I always say on this site, I think I need to learn how to read haha I did the same thing with Elitest and Forever Orion lol
Dustin replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Jesse Cash is probably my fav clean vocalist in metal right now!
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JDS replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:32 am
I just wanted to congratulate you guys for mentioning Secret & Whisper, Erra, and My Epic all in this thread. All great bands.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:33 am
Why thank you kind sir
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Marcos replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Erra *–* Its a shame I got that album too late last year,or it would totally be in my top 10 list =(
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
I know Marcos! I really hope they release physical copies of that one.
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GRIMMICE replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:53 am
I <3 Conditions….
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:56 am
I will probably have to go back and listen to “Fluorecent Youth” a few more times to see if it clicks. Grimmice do you like the band Balance & Composure?
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:57 am
Or Moving Mountains?
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JDS replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:32 am
Moving Mountains = also damn good.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:35 am
Hell yeah JDS! I’m looking for some similiar bands to them, so let me know if you have any good ones! Or if you know anything like the band The Beautiful Mistake!
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:59 am
Dude “Fluorescent Youth” is epic. If you weren’t sold, listen to “Comfort Far Away”. Its a slower song but I think its their best
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:05 am
I’m listening to the song now and it’s actually not bad. “The End of Progression” is a pretty good song too! “Natural Competition” reminds me alot of Secret & Whisper and Dead Poetic. Hmph wonder why I didn’t give this a fair shot
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:07 am
The whole album’s great. It’s a lot like a mix of S&W and Yellowcard, but in the best way. I love every song.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 1:18 am
That’s a great way to explain the album’s sound! Kinda reminds me alittle bit of Dropping Daylight too. Wow this brings back memories
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Dustin replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Thank you, one of the must underrated bands…really they are
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January 18th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Progress, yes. Above Mediocrity? Nah, I don’t think so. These guys deserve props for sticking together and improving but that’s about it. I’ll give this a few spins but just can’t see myself coming back to it.
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January 18th, 2012 at 11:19 pm
I gave this album a rather scathing review, it makes me happy to see someone review it with more of a forgiving tone but still ultimately reach the same conclusion. I can hear the progression, but at the end of the day they’re only trying to “out brutal” Of Mice & Men. For what this album improves upon from previous releases it is also somewhat of a devolution from their self-titled album which was not very good, but it still had some great tracks on it I enjoyed.
The Attack Attack! guys really do bring it upon themselves. Upgrading to 8-string guitars and going down to dropped G tuning to me just seems to indicate they’re so ignorant they think more strings and lower tunings = better quality, more brutal music. It’s a sentiment that a lot of other bands seem to share, not just AA! and sadly it’s also the downfall of the metalcore genre. Chugging in drop G is no different than chugging in Drop D.
A lot of reviews seem to not point out the screams are forced and weak on this album so I was relieved when I read that you noticed because I was starting to think that nobody was going to bring that up. Cleans, yeah they’re okay still mediocre, but those screams sound like a bad imitation of TDWP’s vocals. The saliva, pirate yell technique Mike does, it doesn’t bode well.
If AA! next time around consider getting a new screamer, moving around the fretboard and putting some effort into their music I will gladly buy their next album, I’ll tell people how good it is and all will be well.
[Reply to this comment]
Jake C replied:
January 18th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Drop G is a really stupid thing to do to an 8-string considering it’s a 7-string tuning and you would be tuning up really high and snapping all your strings in the process, but nice try buddy. Oh and by the way, there’s a HUGE difference between chugging in d and chugging in g. I have a 7-string and a 6-string and the 7-string has a much more “brutal” sound naturally, whereas a 6-string sounds tinnier typically. I do think there’s no point in using a 7-string if you’re not using the high e, but next time you try to sound like you know something about guitars, do your research.
Drop tunings (before they overlap and strings are literally falling off guitars):
6-string drop tunings – d-a#
7-string drop tunings – a-f#
8-string drop tunings – f – (don’t know where it bottoms out)
I’m not defending this as a great album, I like it, just thought I’d point out your mistakes
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:04 am
I love how people keep bashing the screamer and saying he needs to leave the band when he not only produced/recorded the album, but also plays guitar on it as well. It’s like they don’t think he’s an integral part of the band, but he is
And Jake, you’re right about the strings snapping on an 8-string while it’s in Drop G. My buddy is guilty of doing that time and time again haha
[Reply to this comment]
Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:10 am
I keep my seven string in drop g# pretty consistently because I use it for progressive metal mostly and that seems to be the main seven string tuning for that style. That and the stuff i write typically is on a seven string in drop g#. People shouldn’t get extended range guitars if they’re just gonna chug in my honest opinion. Get a baritone, save yourself some money
hahaha
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:28 am
Dude baritone is the way to go, especially for starters. I hate how wide the neck is on the 7-string. Plus it has the same chord shapes as a standard guitar, so the move to baritone is waaaay easier than the move to a 7-string haha
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:31 am
I love my seven string though and ehh the chord shapes should be the same cause a baritone is tuned like a seven string without the high e :/ the neck is daunting at first but you get used to it.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:52 am
Yeah I think you’re right about the 7-string’s tuning. Guess I’ve just always been sad that the baritone never gets any love haha
[Reply to this comment]
KillHipsters replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 4:54 am
It’s all about the gauges of string, while I am not completely certain they’re using 8-string guitars it’s just what I’ve heard a few places it’s not impossible to tune an 8-string to drop G whatsoever. Strings of the following gauge will easily work on an 8-string.
G-0.07
D-0.10
A-0.13
F-0.17
C-0.30
G-0.42
D-0.52
G-0.74
They’re most likely using 7′s then, don’t know where the heck I read about 8′s (a couple of places). It’s all about the scale and of the guitar and thickness of the strings. And by the chugging statement of chugging in drop G sounds the same as Drop D, I was merely pointing out no matter what tuning you’re chugging in you’re still chugging open strings (so it’s the same technique, only chugging is chunkier the lower you go).
I do know what I am somewhat talking about, see.
And PS. Baritones for the win.
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Jake C replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
It’s still rather pointless to tune a 8-string to g hahaha
And thanks for not bein a dick back to me hahaha I apologize about that. I was having a rough night and was taking my shit out on whoever stood in my way XD
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Killhipsters I’m really liking your site. It’s about fucking time someone reviews the new Amarn Areign album
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
*Amarna Reign
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Luke Amos replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Haha to you they are, but not to me.”Storms” kicks ass!
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Marcos replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:32 pm
Agreed,specially the clean vocals,SO GOOD.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Cleans on the new Amarna Reign suck in comparison to their earlier material, especially the Atonement EP.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Agreed with Luke. Most of their tracks all sound the same. Solid debut album I guess.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Lol name a band in the genre where their entire debut album has songs that sound completely different from one another.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:07 pm
In the metalcore genre? Erra is one off the top of my mind.
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Marcos replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Well,I’ve heard several people that said “Impulse” got boring after a while cuz all the songs sounded the same hahaha,I disagree tho,but I can totally see someone getting bored and completely annoyed at those cleans lol.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Haha I love Erra, but the songs definately don’t sound different from one another. Some tracks have cleans and some don’t just like the new Amarna Reign disc.
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Marcos replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Yea,but the cleans on the Amarna Reign are less frequent,only 3 tracks on “Impulse” have no clean vocals,the track “Seven” is the best imo
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Marcos you have such a varied taste in music! You listen to alot of stuff!
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Marcos replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 4:49 am
Haha So do you.
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Achantion replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 6:14 am
Bands where every song sounds different? Erra was a bad example though (as each song pretty much sounds the same, good their songs are damn awesome)
1. Converge (Jane Doe, Petitioning, and especially Axe to fall)
2. 7 angels 7 plagues
3. Rorschach
4. Farmakon
5. Dionaea
6. Gospel (to some degree)
7. The Crinn
8. Naked City/John Zorn (Grindcore/free jazz not metalcore/gardcore)
9. Shining (Nor)
10. Gordian Knot
Those I know from the top of my mind, must see my music library to give more haha.
I however agree that Amarna Reign is boring (a couple of songs are good but a full album REALLY drags on).
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Haha nice list, but I was just talking about how alot of current metalcore bands sound the same. Shining are so outside that genre that it’s not even funny. Great band though! Ever listened to “Elementary” by The End?
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Achantion replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Except for Shining, Naked city and Gordian Knot they can all be considered metalcore lol.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Surprised you didn’t put Amity Affliction up there haha
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January 19th, 2012 at 12:03 am
For a second I thought the cover art was of 2 dicks!
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:05 am
Haha that’s what the chick that rang me out at Target said…..
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January 19th, 2012 at 12:19 am
Ok, so this isn’t the deepest, catchiest, or most original album on the planet, but it’s a great step forward for the band gosh dang-it! I these guys probably more than anyone on the planet, but when I popped this sucker in for the first time on full blast I had a ball listening to it. Had the moshworthy grooves of “It’s Nothing Personal” era Bury Your Dead, the screams of Mercury Switch, and the cleans of Atreyu’s “The Curse”. And thankfully I didn’t detect any autotune! I’d probably give this the same score you did Jonathan, well maybe one half a point lower because my rating scale is fucked up lol
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 12:20 am
*I hated these guys
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Dustin replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Agree with pretty much everything you said, i don’t see myself coming back to this much though.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Thanks
Yeah it’s not really deep or thought provoking, but it’s a good time. It’s a quick and easy listen.
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January 19th, 2012 at 2:25 am
I didn’t really care for much of their older stuff, but I think I might give this a listen.
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January 19th, 2012 at 3:02 am
I feel guilty for liking this album.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 3:06 am
You shouldn’t buddy! It’s really starting to grow on me and that’s saying alot since I used to hate this band lol
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Marcos replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
Like what you want dude,don’t feel guilty.
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January 19th, 2012 at 4:19 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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January 19th, 2012 at 5:01 am
The joke everywhere on the net is how the album cover looks like two massive erections lol. I cant un-see it now.
Heard the majority of this on youtube and im SO impressed as how much they’ve improved. Probably going to buy it becase The Motivation and The Wretched both rule so hard.
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Marcos replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
The Confrontation > them all haha
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January 19th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Nice review once again Jon to the point, hell yeah this is a huge improvement, I am sure AA! would be relieved to know that perhaps “CRABCORE” will slowly start disappearing as a tag to their names…
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Thanks man =] I think they would too.
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January 19th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Nice review, but this shit just isn’t for me. It just feels so half assed and tame.
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January 19th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Dustin replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Do you and Achantion just take turns posting this on every review? If you don’t like the genre I don’t see the point of posting this everywhere. It isn’t exactly news after 50 times or so…
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Hahaha!
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Marcos replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Ownage!! haha
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Achantion replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Dustin replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 10:10 am
I’m sayins, just saying “this sucks, xyz that i listen to is so much better” gets tiresome to read after 50 or so threads of it. Also i didn’t even like this album and i do agree that you should go listen to music you like instead of posting the same tiring thing everywhere.
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Marcos replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 10:35 am
well,I don’t like those Death Metal,Grindcore,whatever that has a horrible cover,still I don’t go in just to post a negative comment saying how I hated it,its stupid to do it just for the sake of hating it. See what I’m saying? ¬¬
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Achantion replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Kyle replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 11:24 am
You can express your opinion all you want, however you dont do that you “attack” music you dont like and have this elitist attitude where everything you listen to is supreme and if you dont like its “crap”. I’m sorry i thought the whole point of art/music/film was to reach out and ispire and entertain. Thats totally cool if a certian genre or band doesnt strike your fancy, but to sit here and bash every band or genre, and tell everyone who does like it they listen to crappy music as if your OPINION was truth. Personally I think Lamb of God is one of the most boring bands out there and never understood the appeal in them, and Aborted is extremely offensive and boring. But I would never go on to the thead to say any of that. Just like i would never tell a 12 year old girl Justin Bieber sucks.
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Marcos replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Exactly,they talk like only what they listen to is good.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Achantion I do feel the same way about metalcore. If you’re upset about it’s current state and want to see where the genre should’ve evolved to, then go check out the latest Mercury Switch album. Think it came out in ’05. It’s sick!
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Achantion replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I’ve checked out their myspace, was alright (bit to breakdown centered for my taste though). :p
Also the last thing I’m going to say on the subject of me hating;
This is a music review site with a comment section that allows to discuss it. I have no idea why I shouldn’t check out every album and discuss it. Saying I should say it’s a bad thing to do on a site like this is saying that you shouldn’t upload videos to youtube.
I would never look up and say shit about bands I don’t like on youtube (or any other place that isn’t made for discussing music). But on a site that’s made for it I don’t see any problems on it. I’m not always complaining either, maybe 20% of my comments are negative (a bit more lately as 2 crappy super popular albums came out around the same time).
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Oh no buddy, you gotta check out their whole album. Trust me!
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Achantion replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Can’t really find it :/ only the 2009 samples (if I was on the correct myspace at least) haha.
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Marcos replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
The same discussion over and over and over again gets boring real fast “oh this is crappy,wat I like is better,shitty fan base,blah blah blah”,come with new arguments next time,or if you going to just hate,ignore the album and the review.
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Achantion replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Clinton replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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Marcos replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:40 pm
You do realize that while it is horrible to you,people are still able to enjoy it? I could consider what you listen to pure trash,still I would never be rude about it and say things like “oh this is pure garbage,you people that listen to this suck and bla bla bla”.
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January 19th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Not too bad of an album. I agree 100% with the review. Great job Jonathan!
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Thanks Tim, appreciate it!
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January 19th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
I’m probably alone when I say that I like the first album better than this one. The first album was catchy so I enjoyed it but this one is kind of boring in my opinion.
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January 19th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
I’m fucking tired of having most or all of an album’s titles be “The ______”. It’s a trend, I swear. Fleshgod Apocolypse, Memphis May Fire, and I’m sure a couple of others. It’s as boring an uncreative as can be. Kind of like this album. I completely respect the fact they’ve straightened their act up and make music that is respectable. But that’s it. If this band has to exist, I’d like it to be in the form of this.
Good review, though.
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Marcos replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Well,they clearly copied MMF on this haha
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 19th, 2012 at 11:43 pm
They totally did!
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Thanks Duesex
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January 20th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
This album is definitely not worth the hate it’s getting. They’re ONLY getting hate because of the fact that it’s Attack Attack!, and it’s super awesome to hate on them because of their Stick Stickly video. If this album was released by a completely different band under another name, it would merely be passed off as “meh, not for me” by haters. For their own good, Attack Attack! should change band name to mark their change in sound and maturity, and as a way to wash off their bad reputation and start anew. That being said, I really liked their last effort but this album isn’t really cutting it for me. It’s not bad, but it’s not, as you mentioned, revolutionary. It’s decent. I would probably give it a 2,5 or a 3, so I would say I agree with the score. Good job on the review, Jonathan!
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Matthew Lowery replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Definitely agree with the name change. They need a fresh start.
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Clinton replied:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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BisdRocker replied:
January 20th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
LOL straight to the point but no offense guys I still cant help it but laugh my ass off when I recall AA! with that song “Stick Stickly”, I mean the name itself is so funny but yeah they damn sure are on a new path and this is definitely a start for perhaps something better…
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Thanks Max. =] I don’t know about the name change, could have been said for Underoath too.
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 5:19 am
I agree Max! You should start your own column on here! It’s time for you to expand your repitoire for the sole purpose that I’ll have something interesting to read everyday!
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January 23rd, 2012 at 2:28 pm
I like this album. To be honest the best thing about it are the cleans…the chug-chug-metal scream-chug is rather boring, though as a fan of breakdowns they do those well. I loved the first album and its techno beats…it was uber catchy. Back to the point, while being a solid metalcore-ish album, nothing truly stands out. The only reason This Means War is getting all the publicity is because Attack Attack are the ones doing it. This is speculative, but most of their fanbase was because of Someday Came Suddenly. Point being that anyone could put out a record like this…it does seem like they are unsigned since they produced it in the Suddenly Less Fat Caleb’s studio (dude used to be way pudgy when they first came out). Still, I will bump this from time to time…standout song is The Wretched. Cheers.
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Marcos replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Suddenly Less Fat LMAO
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 23rd, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Haha I thought that was actually the name of the studio until I re-read the sentence.
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Patrick replied:
January 29th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
i hadn’t looked at the band for quite while (the self titled album was god-awful)…so after reading this review I looked at the picture on the top and I noticed that Caleb had been doing a lot of crab-squats or whatever because he’s skinny now! Here’s a picture http://www.stuffyouwillhate.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-shot-2011-07-16-at-11.37.42-AM.png
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January 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 pm
AA! used to be bad but now they’re mediocre rabble rabble rabble.
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January 24th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
fair review. but i don’t agree about vocals, i like more this kind of scream, now AA!’s sound close to Architects and its defiantly good.
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Marcos replied:
January 24th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Still trying to find any similarities… hmmm nope.
I don’t mind his screams,its mostly kinda forced,but he does have some nice moments haha
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 5:22 am
I really hope the new Architect album is going to be a return to their heavy roots! AA vocals definately sound forced at times, but they mesh well with the chords. I love how rough around the edges the cleans are though
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Nicholas Misiak replied:
January 25th, 2012 at 5:22 am
*Architects oops lol
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January 26th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
I have listened to the stream of this album four times now to give it a fair shot, and it is honestly one of the worst records I have ever heard. Great and fair review Jonathan, but this album has no redeeming qualities for me.
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February 5th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Fuck the haters, I absolutely love this album. “The Wretched” is in my top 5 songs of all time. I also have *massive* respect for Caleb for being so multi-talented. I know some people don’t like his screamed vocals, but personally I think that they’re great as they convey a sense of emotion that most don’t.
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Matthew Lowery replied:
February 5th, 2012 at 10:58 am
Also, if you want to hear “forced” screams all you have to do is listen to While She Sleeps…
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Jen replied:
February 5th, 2012 at 2:54 pm
While She Sleeps’ vocalist has a raw sounding voice. That’s like saying Touche Amore has forced screams. lol WSS are infinitely better than Attack Attack.
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Matthew Lowery replied:
February 6th, 2012 at 9:00 am
Touché Amoré and WSS have *totally* different screams; WSS definitely sounds forced. “Raw” in your usage is clearly just another way of saying “has trouble doing it properly”. Lastly I never said AA is better than WSS.
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