Buddy Nielsen – Lead vocals
Garrett Zablocki – guitars, vocals
Dan Trapp – drums, percussion
Heath Saraceno – guitars, Vocals
Back in 2002 a band based in Ridgewood, New Jersey began a career of quote
on quote “post-hardcore” style of rock. The band released an EP back in 2002 that featured on single “Bloody
Romance.” A few year after that they hit stores with their debut album Let it
Enfold You that hat to singles spin off it. Next was Still Searching that
jumped into the top 15 in the U.S. Billboard charts. The album feature a smash hit of “Calling All Cars.” Sticking
with what seems to be a trend of every two years jumping back into the spotlight with a new album on October 7th
of ’08. As I sit here right now writing the review, the album has had one single hit the airwaves as well as peaking
at the 18th spot on the Billboard chart. The album begins with “Fireworks at Dawn,” a track starts
off slowly then kicks it up a bit halfway through. The band quickly turns the heat up right after “Fireworks at Dawn”
as they us it as kind of a warm up track or intro. It flows right into “Lungs Like Gallows” with its mix of rock
vocals and some screamo type. They transition from style to style very well as they don’t miss a beat. They also add
in my birth year which is a nice touch, but getting back to the important stuff, they have a really good solo spot wrapped
around the double bass. “Garden State” has to be named for their home state. The track sounds a bit popish with
a few harder riffs and a forceful voice in spots. It has displays a very nice guitar solo that gets the blood flowing. The
lead single that has been streaming all over the waves and the net, “Family Traditions,” is a shout out that most
everything that has happened is yes his fault, yet he had help as they were also inherited traits. As the track progresses
he goes from saying “Help me… I have inherited this, from a stranger that I have never miss” to “I
hope your proud of me, I hope your proud.” This is defiantly a track that fans should be able to connect with and that
always makes for a great track. The band quickly and very aggressively follows up the lead track with a great track “Wolves
at the Door.” The fast pace track, which features a couple different vocal styles with very clean transitions and an
insane guitar solo. It’s one of the standout tracks of the album. “Hair of the Dog” beings with a nice drum
beat that leads your ears down the path to the vocals. the nearly 4 minute song takes you on an emotional ride with its lyrics,
just take a seat and truly listen. “Ali for Cody” is a track that you can get lost in. It’s a smooth track
that includes a little bit of screaming in the back ground as well as other backing vocals that all mesh well together. The
music is easy to get into and there is a strong key presents in and out of the track. “Yellow Angels” also has
a huge key presents as the track opens with them. They then add in a soft spoken Buddy as well as some drums. It’s a
great track that should make a huge splash on the radio and fans alike. “Chandelier” is a very dramatic sounding
track with a huge begins with drums and riffs that give way to a dark set of vocals as “Map the Streets” gets
back to the pop-punk sound of most of the bands music before now. “Map the Streets” is an easy track to get into
and would be able to stand on its own two feet. The album wraps up with the track “Blackout.” It’s a harder
installment than most of its predecessors on the album. you can hear more drums while Buddy’s steady vocals coast the
track from start to finish. Overall the album is decent. There are a few tracks that stood out to me and should make their
presents known of the radio sooner of later. The rest of the album is pretty solid and as they progress. There are a few that
need to be listened to a few times before you get the full impact of the track. Senses Fail fans should like this album as
its classic with a few twists.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
My favorite tracks:
Lungs
Like Gallows, Wolves at the Door, Yellow Angels
Track List:
1.
Fireworks at Dawn
2.
Lungs Like Gallows
3.
Garden State
4.
Family Tradition
5.
Wolves at the Door
6.
Hair of the Dog
7.
Four Years
8.
Ali for Cody
9.
Yellow Angels
10. Chandelier
11. Map the Streets
12. Blackout
Website (s): www.sensesfail.com, www.vagrant.com
