Klatzke
07/11/08, 09:54 PM
My Hero is Me - The Crywolf Broadcast
Record Label: Tragic Hero Records
Release Date: May 20, 2008
My Hero Is Me is a North Carolina-based hardcore band that, while not exactly original, are starting to blast their way to the forefront of the genre. On The Crywolf Broadcast, they bring forth a mixture of metal and hardcore (metalcore?) with a slightly southern touch.
The first half of the album is by far the hardest. Starting out with a fairly pointless intro track, it escalates into a heavy sound that remains for the first few tracks. One thing you’ll notice is the triple guitar assault. While many people will deem this pointless (I’m still not decided on it), it does bring an interesting element into play. Putting this aside, the tracks remain fairly heavy up through “Be Well, John Spartan,” which is a very compelling track, and probably the best from the first half of the album. The guitar work shines at the beginning of this song, and then falls away with distortion, only to rise back up into the powerfully screamed vocals. This is also the first of the songs to really have any kind of defining lyrics, ditching (for the time being) lines like “I see us twisted in a passionate knot of love, and great sex” from “Taylor Rain (On My Parade).” One thing many people may not like in this song, but I do enjoy, is what I assume are soundclips of spoken statements, that say things like “I’ve got six little friends, and they can all run faster than you can,” (completed by the sound of a cocked gun, of course).
The title track starts off strongly, the guitar work is catchy, and it’s one of the more memorable tracks from the album. After breaking into what starts as a spoken word track, it then turns into an instrumental track that escalates towards “I Studied Metal At Juliard.” This track serves as the turning point in this album, changing the run-of-the-mill hardcore sound into something fairly more evolved. “I Studied Metal At Juliard” is also about aliens, and is my favorite track from the album. While many of you are probably shaking your head at the absurdity of a track about an alien invasion, it’s actually well-written, sporting lyrics like “You waited too long / not believing what we said could be / Our beliefs instilled for / this faith are outweighed / by what’s physically in front of me,” and later lines, “It amazes me how quickly we assume / how nothing can defeat us / and the minute something tries / Let’s unify us.” The song follows the metalcore formula through the first half, but around the halfway mark (it’s a 7-minute track), the tempo slows and astounding clean vocals enter. Filled with a sense of triumph, they carry you through until it’s picked back up by a powerful breakdown. “How To Hold A Ghosts Hand” slowly escalates but remains mellow throughout for the most part, and is a completely memorable song. “A Beautiful Mind” is a marvelous track, mixing both the brutal parts of the first half with the mellower side of the second half. “Rated R For Rambunctious” is the return of the unfiltered and rowdy lyrics. I mean, it contains the lines, “You smacked my face / like it was so wrong / of me to assume that you were both down for the dirty.” Taking this song with a grain of salt, it’s fun and it ends the album on a positive note.
Some people may not be able to listen to this band just because of the 'absurdity' of the three guitarists, while others won’t listen because they just don’t like the genre. While there are a few skippable tracks, overall the album is pretty solid. When they dare to bring in the mellower vocals, it really adds to the tracks, and the instrumentation is above average compared to many of their peers. So, while I’m aware this may not be everyone's thing, those of you that appreciate this genre should enjoy it. As they state best in the title track, “I hope you enjoy the broadcast.”
guitar heavy metalcore, a heavier Burden of a Day, August Burns Red's Thrill Seeker, Inhale/Exhale's I Swear...
myspace.com/myheroisme (http://www.myspace.com/myheroisme)
Record Label: Tragic Hero Records
Release Date: May 20, 2008
My Hero Is Me is a North Carolina-based hardcore band that, while not exactly original, are starting to blast their way to the forefront of the genre. On The Crywolf Broadcast, they bring forth a mixture of metal and hardcore (metalcore?) with a slightly southern touch.
The first half of the album is by far the hardest. Starting out with a fairly pointless intro track, it escalates into a heavy sound that remains for the first few tracks. One thing you’ll notice is the triple guitar assault. While many people will deem this pointless (I’m still not decided on it), it does bring an interesting element into play. Putting this aside, the tracks remain fairly heavy up through “Be Well, John Spartan,” which is a very compelling track, and probably the best from the first half of the album. The guitar work shines at the beginning of this song, and then falls away with distortion, only to rise back up into the powerfully screamed vocals. This is also the first of the songs to really have any kind of defining lyrics, ditching (for the time being) lines like “I see us twisted in a passionate knot of love, and great sex” from “Taylor Rain (On My Parade).” One thing many people may not like in this song, but I do enjoy, is what I assume are soundclips of spoken statements, that say things like “I’ve got six little friends, and they can all run faster than you can,” (completed by the sound of a cocked gun, of course).
The title track starts off strongly, the guitar work is catchy, and it’s one of the more memorable tracks from the album. After breaking into what starts as a spoken word track, it then turns into an instrumental track that escalates towards “I Studied Metal At Juliard.” This track serves as the turning point in this album, changing the run-of-the-mill hardcore sound into something fairly more evolved. “I Studied Metal At Juliard” is also about aliens, and is my favorite track from the album. While many of you are probably shaking your head at the absurdity of a track about an alien invasion, it’s actually well-written, sporting lyrics like “You waited too long / not believing what we said could be / Our beliefs instilled for / this faith are outweighed / by what’s physically in front of me,” and later lines, “It amazes me how quickly we assume / how nothing can defeat us / and the minute something tries / Let’s unify us.” The song follows the metalcore formula through the first half, but around the halfway mark (it’s a 7-minute track), the tempo slows and astounding clean vocals enter. Filled with a sense of triumph, they carry you through until it’s picked back up by a powerful breakdown. “How To Hold A Ghosts Hand” slowly escalates but remains mellow throughout for the most part, and is a completely memorable song. “A Beautiful Mind” is a marvelous track, mixing both the brutal parts of the first half with the mellower side of the second half. “Rated R For Rambunctious” is the return of the unfiltered and rowdy lyrics. I mean, it contains the lines, “You smacked my face / like it was so wrong / of me to assume that you were both down for the dirty.” Taking this song with a grain of salt, it’s fun and it ends the album on a positive note.
Some people may not be able to listen to this band just because of the 'absurdity' of the three guitarists, while others won’t listen because they just don’t like the genre. While there are a few skippable tracks, overall the album is pretty solid. When they dare to bring in the mellower vocals, it really adds to the tracks, and the instrumentation is above average compared to many of their peers. So, while I’m aware this may not be everyone's thing, those of you that appreciate this genre should enjoy it. As they state best in the title track, “I hope you enjoy the broadcast.”
guitar heavy metalcore, a heavier Burden of a Day, August Burns Red's Thrill Seeker, Inhale/Exhale's I Swear...
myspace.com/myheroisme (http://www.myspace.com/myheroisme)