I Am Alpha And Omega – The Roar And The Whisper
Hype. It’s a blessing or a curse, depending on what exactly is receiving the hyping. I hate when something is promoted so much yet proves to be nothing special at all; but on the other hand, if something lives up to its vigorous promotion, it instills a sense of pride that you weren’t gimped by the system. (I’ve been listening to some punk lately.) I Am Alpha And Omega’s debut full-length The Roar And The Whisper has been one of the most talked about upcoming releases in the hardcore blogosphere, especially in the Christian circles. But does it live up to its vivacious promotion, or is it yet another tiring letdown to the bloated genre?
Here’s a disclaimer to you deathcore-breathing metal heads who are much more “br00tal” than I: If you don’t like hardcore along the lines of Emery or Underoath, turn back now before you flame my comment section like freaking napalm. If deathcore or similar is all you listen to, you won’t like this. Trust me. If you do, however, enjoy a broader pallet, then read on my friends. From the wondrous state of New Jersey hails this determined quintet, and after long weeks of label negotiations, IAAAO is set to rock the shelves with The Roar And The Whisper on September 5th.
I Am Alpha And Omega are by no means attempting to reinvent the wheel with this release. However, they do bring a captivating sound along with mature songwriting which tells of their powerful message. And speaking of power, the first track of The Roar And The Whisper, “The Last Breath Of Self Expectancy” sets a simple yet devout tone for the rest of the record. Following up “The Last Breath Of Self Expectancy” is “The Lost And The Captor”, an extremely catchy track which even brings the heavy a few times. This track proclaims IAAAO’s style, switching from cheery A Day To Remember-style sung choruses to heavier riffs truer to the hardcore genre.
The entire album maintains a sort of hopeful overtone to it, especially seen in “My Greatest Need” and “Irreversible”. The album’s title track also flaunts highly catchy vocal arrangements and strong, groovy riffing. Up until “Irreversible”, however, The Roar And The Whisper is solid but not inspiring. “Deceiver” changes that. This track is one of the best on the album, and for the first time since “The Last Breath Of Self Expectancy”, brings loads of heart. “The Rescue” is a two-and-a-half minute instrumental, and its simple yet driving sound is reminiscent of Underoath’s Define The Great Line.
“The Bride” and “Wolves” both demonstrate the same qualities as “Deceiver”, with “Wolves” likely taking second place on the “best tracks” list. The rhythm of good tracks is briefly swayed by “Beaten, Betrayed, Denied”, and while the song is compelling, it seems like a waste of space. However, “A Whistle Falls” steers the album back on track with one of the heavier performances on The Roar And The Whisper, and honestly should be the closing track instead of “Chasing”. “Chasing” is a soft, worshipful five minutes, but really doesn’t flow with the album at all.
Nevertheless, the album’s few shortcomings are fully relieved by The Roar And The Whisper’s strengths. Again, I Am Alpha And Omega do not bring loads of originality with this release. However they do bring compelling, catchy, and entertaining hardcore that will keep tracks of this album on your repeat for a long time. For a debut album, IAAAO prove that they have the musical chops to become a juggernaut in their industry.
About The Writer
Share This Post
Translate This Post
Buy The Album
Band Links
18 Comments
August 29th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Death by v-neck! Nice review, Anthony. These guys seem interesting.
[Reply to this comment]
August 29th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
I've definitely been buying into the hype for this album. What I've listened so far is a bit too "singy" for me, but I'm definitely going to give the album a full listen. Enjoyed the review!
[Reply to this comment]
August 30th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Oo, the clean vocals sound pretty good, judging by The Lost And The Captor. Not sure about the rest though, seems a little too generic. Truth be told, I haven't heard anything about these guys, so I don't follow the hype-part.
And hooray for another 'Everyone bring (some sort of) v-neck'-band pic!
[Reply to this comment]
August 30th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Death by V-Neck for damn sure… killing my eyes as I look at them… what the hell is with V-necks and bands nowadayz? They look retarded… just a way 2 show off their generic chest wraparound ink sayings if you ask me (which… hey… they're doing) anyway… they all look ridiculous in that picture… good thing it's the music we're concerned about… but that's not that great either… your typical "pop" music that they like to call hardcore… but as the review stated… some mildy inventive parts hidden in their stuff though… lets hope they build off them in the future… nice review bud.
[Reply to this comment]
August 30th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for the kind words everyone! Definitely give it a try, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea for sure. I hope dearly they grow on this, though. They have a ton of potential.
[Reply to this comment]
August 30th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
This is not your typical music now a days, its not so generic like the rest of "heavier" music. and I dig the v-necks.. keep rockin' guys! I'd love to hear more from you!
[Reply to this comment]
Gabriel Pio replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Of course you'd dig them.
[Reply to this comment]
August 30th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Max, correct me if I'm wrong but you're wearing a vneck in your profile picture. I guess they cc'd you in on the memo too huh?
Kyzee, can you please post a picture of your insecure self? Because clearly you find the need to strictly attack peoples style and image, which is a great indicator of the fact that you are probably overweight, have no friends, and a severe acne problem. Vnecks get all the chicks, and you don't. Thats a fact.
For the record, I think the v-necks are pretty stylish, and the album is the most diverse record I have heard in this genre to date. Most albums are 12 tracks that are repeats and different variations of the first 2 of them. God forbid these guys tried to show that they are musically capable of doing something that isn't just heavy and full of breakdowns. Go throwdown to emmure.
I give this a 4.5/5.
[Reply to this comment]
Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
That's a nice picture you have there bro, at least when you flame you can back it up with something other than "That's a fact." Oh wait a second…
And did you even read the review? When did I say it was bad because of a lack of breakdowns?Even more, I gave it a good review! Pick your battles man, but I still appreciate all feedback.
[Reply to this comment]
Gabriel Pio replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Believe me, I have nothing against v-necks(I own a couple, okay, four of them). But you can't deny that they've become a major staple is metalcore and especially post-hardcore, and famous with the scene kids. You're not supposed to judge people on image alone(and you can realize that by listening to these guys, they're pretty good) but we can't deny their image also says a lot. And it's very 'typical' for the bands in their genre to dress like that, so it become a cliché.
Just saying.
p.s. The Lost and The Captor sounds awesome.
[Reply to this comment]
Glen B. replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:21 am
Anthony, nothing I said was targeted towards you or your review but only towards Max and Kyzee.
[Reply to this comment]
Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:28 am
Glen,
I think Max is referring to some comments made on his review of Shake the Pagoda Tree. Obviously since he is wearing a v-neck in his pic, he meant no harm. Can't we all just get along?
[Reply to this comment]
actrambley21 replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Uh, yeah, the band members (and the v-neck thing in general) look effeminate, which is a statement of style I suppose. I personally don't care for them at all, but that doesn't change how I view the band and the music they play. There are a ton of bands out there that have strange looking members, but that doesn't change how their music sounds.
As far as your comments, people are allowed to have their own opinions, and you make yourself look intolerant by attacking the views of others while preaching your own.
Great review though Anthony, I've never heard of this band so I'll have to check them out.
[Reply to this comment]
Max Grundström replied:
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:31 am
Glen,
As Jen mentioned, I was referring to my Shake The Pagoda Tree-review. I have nothing aganst v-necks since I use them myself, I just think it's fun to see the whole band (or the majority) using v-necks in a photoshoot.
[Reply to this comment]
September 1st, 2010 at 9:32 am
these guys look gayer than a back full of dicks
[Reply to this comment]
September 4th, 2010 at 8:26 am
First listen through of this record, I totally loved it. But after numerous spins, I found a lot of your concerns/complaints about the album to be correct. I believe these dudes are very good band, but they have to find that "it", that "something", to really separate them from the pack. Good job on the review Anthony.
[Reply to this comment]
September 6th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Great review! I honestly had not heard of these guys until checking out this site, but I'm digging the album now. They certainly don't bring anything new to the table, but it is still an enjoyable listen nonetheless.
[Reply to this comment]
Anthony Gannaio replied:
September 6th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Glad you're enjoying it man!
[Reply to this comment]