With Life In Mind – Grievances
When music gives you a feeling of nostalgia, it can be either a good or bad thing. Maybe that record you just popped in instantly reminded you of your glam-metal days when you thought W.A.S.P was the best thing to ever happen to you. Or how about that new hardcore CD you bought that brings you back to the old-school hardcore days. Bad or good, we always try to connect our tunes to other bands or experiences. If you’ve ever listened to and loved August Burns Red, With Life In Mind’s Grievances will have you grinning from ear-to-ear.
It’s mid-2009 and Philadelphia’s With Life In Mind have just dropped their EP, The Human Condition. Having been formed in 2007, the band has taken their time crafting and refining their sound. Finally set to release their debut effort under CI Records on September 14th, this five piece has strongly emphasized its focus on the seriousness of this album – and it has paid off. Grievances begins with a short intro title-track before leading into “King Of Frauds”. Remember the August Burns Red comparison above? Good, because you hear it in action instantly while continuing through the entire CD. Even vocalist Justin Kraus’ scream has distinct Jake Luhrs-ish quality to it. The similarity is so close, in fact, that I had to cross-reference the two bands’ work to be sure there was no plagiarism involved.
Following closely behind “King Of Frauds” in both melody and intensity is “The Collapse Of Men”. Odd-meter riffs and loads of melody are unleashed upon the listener song after song, and “Anxiety Ridden” is no exception. These tracks are remorseless, fresh, and super-catchy. However, the next song “Surroundings” brings to the table such a powerful and epic sound, all others before are dwarfed. I had this track on repeat exactly 34 times in a row the first time I listened to the record. I have a counter. Incredibly hook-laden, the track brings the listener close and charges with them into battle. Apparently, With Life In Mind knew how awesome “Surroundings” was, because they put a soft, one-minute interlude right afterwards. Hurry and scoop up the remnants of your face before “The Human Condition” begins, otherwise you’ll be blown to oblivion.
“The Human Condition” continues Grievances’ merciless audible assault, and is another incredibly strong and diverse track. “Plagued” follows next, and is a welcomed slowing to the breakneck pace that most of the album has upheld. Both “Plagued” and “The Human Condition” are lightly tweaked songs from their EP, so older fans won’t have much to look toward. “Silenced”, however, is not and continues the chain of strong tracks. “Self-Righteous” is yet another killer song, this one implementing some uber-catchy harmonized finger-tapped melodies. Rounding up the undecaplet (yeah, that’s right) of brutality is “Our Endless Existence”. At 4:29, it is the longest track on the album, and certainly one of the catchiest as well. An excellent ending to an excellent album, it surely does not leave one unsatisfied.
For a debut album, Grievances is a thirty-minute aural all-out war. The guitar riffs are catchy and melodic, drumming is invariably strong, and the vocals are exciting and dynamic. If your metal sweet-tooth has been craving something less fluffy lately, this album is for you. It adeptly balances remorseless tenacity with truckloads of melody paired with a fresh message. Grievances has certainly found itself a space on my list of good tunes.
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24 Comments
August 13th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Anything that reminds you of ABR is good in my book. Great job, man. I'll give these guys a spin.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 13th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Also, undecaplet. Nice. Had to look that one up lol
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August 13th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
I'm with Luke. ABR is my favorite band, so I gotta check these guys out. Nice review man.
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August 13th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Thanks mates. You can hear in the samples the similarity. I really, really like this stuff.
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August 13th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Listening to the samples and the track up on their myspace, and I get the ABR reference. They do sound a bit like them. The vocals don't sound that much like Jake though. This guy has a lot less range and has a much hoarser voice. He sounds more like Leroy from War of Ages. Lack of range annoys me when the song is driven by the vocals but these guys sound like they have a good mix going to make it work. Looking forward to getting this album now.
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August 14th, 2010 at 4:29 am
With Life In Mind are without a doubt ungodly talented. These guys are so good.
They headlined a local show recently, super amazing.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Yeah, I'd really like to see a live show of theirs. I mean, they have a similar energy level to ABR, as stated above, and August Burns shows are freaking riots.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 14th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
ABR is tied for best show I have ever seen. Along with Impending Doom on the Bleeding Through Tour.
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August 14th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Sounds alright, but it also sounds pretty generic and they don't really have their own "sound." I will be checking this out though! Good review man.
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August 14th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
So I never really looked at the album art and I just assumed it was a guy riding a bull. Just gave it a proper look, and this is way cooler.
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August 18th, 2010 at 3:42 am
Generic. Boring. Worthless. Some cool moments but meh overall… Misery Signals needs a new record.
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Kyzee replied:
August 25th, 2010 at 1:16 am
/\ this x 1000…
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August 22nd, 2010 at 6:19 pm
downloaded the album. it's very similar to constellations.
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September 7th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
The album is being streamed in All-Access now, go check it out!
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September 25th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
I love to see people mention them as August Burns Red. Have you ever listened to Shia Hulud, Misery Signals, It Prevails, Within the Ruins, War of Ages ect. Its funny when you go on their last FM ABR is no where to be found. And I can also hear As I Lay Dying in King of Frauds, and also i dont think ABR would do a track life Grievances. Only thing that comes close to abr is the first thirty seconds of the last track Our Endless Existence. By the way whats not generic now and days? everyone all sounds the same. I mean i can go a fart on a snare drum and then there will be something totally different out there.
P.S.
To those who said they are just like ABR you are shunned forever!
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Joe replied:
September 25th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Shai Hulud***
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Jen replied:
September 25th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Are you suggesting that Shai Hulud, Misery Signals, It Prevails, Within the Ruins and War of Ages sound similar to one another? Surely not.
It's not uncommon for people to hear different influences in an album, so if you disagree, that's fine. Certainly doesn't mean Anthony was wrong. Opinions aren't wrong, after all.
Lastly, let's clarify how Last.fm's "similar artists" algorithm works. "They are calculated using an algorithm based on user behaviour, including tags, and common artists that your fans listen to." So a band's similar artists may not sound much like that particular band; it merely means they share some of the same tags and are scrobbled by the same people.
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Joe replied:
September 25th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
No i am saying that i hear all of them in With Life In Minds CD and rarely hear ABR at all. And i think that last fm is a great point, you proved it in your post that its based off of tags meaning a lot of fans tagged them and i am sure the fans know who they sound similar to.
Thanks much love
Joseph <3
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Joe replied:
September 25th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
P.S. we can smush later babez!
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Joe replied:
September 25th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
also just noticed i wasnt bashing on anthony i was talking about the jokes that said boring worthless generic and all that shit cause he knows whats what.
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Luke Amos replied:
September 25th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I'm definitely hear an ABR influence when I listen to these guys. But of course that is just one of many (as you mentioned) influences. And to be honest I heard some of the bands you mentioned but not others. Up to a point its all relative to the listener man.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
September 26th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Hey Joe,
While I do hear some of the bands you listed in this, I do still stand by my ABR comparison. The guitar melodies are very similar, and even their vocalist has a similar style as Luhrs of ABR. Just my opinion, some people won't hear it and others will. Either way, it's no biggie. Yes, the album is generic, but it is a very good generic album, and I still recommend you give it some spins.
Thanks for the comment.
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September 25th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
I agree with Joe, you really see more of those artists then August Burns Red. Just saying.
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Anthony Gannaio replied:
September 26th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
You're obviously new here man, we see IP addresses from comments. Chris = Joe. Nice try though!
*Rhyme*!
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