Klatzke
12/08/08, 07:32 PM
Escape the Fate - This War is Ours
Record Label: Epitaph Records
Release Date: October 23, 2008
Escape the Fate is going to "burn our cities" and "turn this to a ghost town" -- all in a whiny falsetto. It took me a whole ten seconds of "Won't Back Down" to realize that they were going for the whole "teen rock anthem" sound, and it took me another ten to realize that they weren't doing something right. And then, we're "On To The Next One," where we see some interesting guitar work, passable drumming, and laughable vocals. Not only do the lyrics sound like they were written by a heartbroken high school teenager, they even throw in a few "whoa-ohs" for those both female and impressionable.
I'll be one of the few to admit it, but I was entranced by Escape the Fate's debut album, and I was surefire fan of Craig Mabbit, until I heard what seems to be his best impression of Aiden's Will Francis. His vocals actually impressed me a bit when he was in blessthefall, and they sounded fine in The Word Alive, but what the hell is this?
Moving on, "Ashley" is basically a pop song, and while it seems like one of the better ones on the surface, it gets annoying fast and the lyrics are completely terrible. Let's see: "Ashley, baby, you make me feel so alive / I've got purpose once again / If looks could kill / You'd be the one that takes my world and makes me young / I'm nothing / You're the one that makes me breathe." I'm not even real sure that makes sense. I mean, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion had some cliche and overdone lyrics but they were at least semi-intelligent. Judging from those prison-blogs though, we wouldn't have ended up with anything better from Ronnie this time around.
I'm pretty sure if Hinder sang "Something," no one would be surprised. However, when these glam rockers decide on it as a choice for a track, I'm both surprised and appalled. I'm going to give up talking about the lyrics, because I'm pretty sure you've gotten the point by now. "The Flood" starts with a quick "oh, come on!" and a fairly interesting guitar line that sounds quite a bit like something The Used would have put on Lies For The Liars. This wouldn't be a bad thing if Bert McCracken were singing it, but once again Mabbit fails to deliver. The little squeal he puts on the end of the chorus actually makes me want to cringe, and the screamed lines at the end of the song would be the best part of the album to this point if they hadn't been overdone with the layered growls/screaming. "You Are So Beautiful" is actually a redeeming track: the lyrics are still pretty shoddy, but for some reason, Mabbit's vocals actually fit during this one and it's easily best track in my eyes.
This is followed by "The War Is Ours (The Guillotine Part II)," which has some pretty crazy guitar leads, but also utilizes what sounds like two guitarists, which is something they lack. This one stays fairly strong through the screaming but falters at the clean vocals. Luckily, Mabbit stays in his raspy-face throughout most of the songs and we don't have to deal with too many of the clean vocals. The little melodic breakout about halfway through the song seems completely out of place as well, and it slows down what could be one straightforward and interesting track. "10 Miles Wide" just makes me laugh - it sounds like pure radio-rock and I could seriously see Buckcherry or one of the numerous sound alike bands singing this track (the best part about this track is the extra set of vocals that actually sound like the guy from Buckcherry).
"Harder Than You Know" is another unintentionally-humorous number, and "It's Just Me" simply confuses the hell out of me. It's like a paradox; they've included this song on their album, but yet they aren't singing about consuming large amounts of hallucinogens and/or paint chips. Not to mention their continuing almost blatant rip-off of Lies For the Liars. I have to say, what worked for The Used is definitely not working for them.
Without having to look it up, I knew Feldmann produced. It seems like every band he produces now gets the exact same sound. After it was pointed out to me by Mr. Joe DeAndra, I realized the similarities between Cute Is What We Aim For's new album and The Used's -- and now I've got another to add to the list. It was great when McCracken and crew pulled it off, but come on, Escape the Fate.
Do I really need a conclusion paragraph for this review? I think it basically speaks for itself, and summing it up would be completely superfluous. If you're thirteen and I'm "ragging" on your favorite band here, I sincerely apologize.
The Used's Lies for the Liars; things John Feldmann produces; radio rock gone post-hardcore gone glam
myspace.com/escapethefate (http://www.myspace.com/escapethefate)
Record Label: Epitaph Records
Release Date: October 23, 2008
Escape the Fate is going to "burn our cities" and "turn this to a ghost town" -- all in a whiny falsetto. It took me a whole ten seconds of "Won't Back Down" to realize that they were going for the whole "teen rock anthem" sound, and it took me another ten to realize that they weren't doing something right. And then, we're "On To The Next One," where we see some interesting guitar work, passable drumming, and laughable vocals. Not only do the lyrics sound like they were written by a heartbroken high school teenager, they even throw in a few "whoa-ohs" for those both female and impressionable.
I'll be one of the few to admit it, but I was entranced by Escape the Fate's debut album, and I was surefire fan of Craig Mabbit, until I heard what seems to be his best impression of Aiden's Will Francis. His vocals actually impressed me a bit when he was in blessthefall, and they sounded fine in The Word Alive, but what the hell is this?
Moving on, "Ashley" is basically a pop song, and while it seems like one of the better ones on the surface, it gets annoying fast and the lyrics are completely terrible. Let's see: "Ashley, baby, you make me feel so alive / I've got purpose once again / If looks could kill / You'd be the one that takes my world and makes me young / I'm nothing / You're the one that makes me breathe." I'm not even real sure that makes sense. I mean, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion had some cliche and overdone lyrics but they were at least semi-intelligent. Judging from those prison-blogs though, we wouldn't have ended up with anything better from Ronnie this time around.
I'm pretty sure if Hinder sang "Something," no one would be surprised. However, when these glam rockers decide on it as a choice for a track, I'm both surprised and appalled. I'm going to give up talking about the lyrics, because I'm pretty sure you've gotten the point by now. "The Flood" starts with a quick "oh, come on!" and a fairly interesting guitar line that sounds quite a bit like something The Used would have put on Lies For The Liars. This wouldn't be a bad thing if Bert McCracken were singing it, but once again Mabbit fails to deliver. The little squeal he puts on the end of the chorus actually makes me want to cringe, and the screamed lines at the end of the song would be the best part of the album to this point if they hadn't been overdone with the layered growls/screaming. "You Are So Beautiful" is actually a redeeming track: the lyrics are still pretty shoddy, but for some reason, Mabbit's vocals actually fit during this one and it's easily best track in my eyes.
This is followed by "The War Is Ours (The Guillotine Part II)," which has some pretty crazy guitar leads, but also utilizes what sounds like two guitarists, which is something they lack. This one stays fairly strong through the screaming but falters at the clean vocals. Luckily, Mabbit stays in his raspy-face throughout most of the songs and we don't have to deal with too many of the clean vocals. The little melodic breakout about halfway through the song seems completely out of place as well, and it slows down what could be one straightforward and interesting track. "10 Miles Wide" just makes me laugh - it sounds like pure radio-rock and I could seriously see Buckcherry or one of the numerous sound alike bands singing this track (the best part about this track is the extra set of vocals that actually sound like the guy from Buckcherry).
"Harder Than You Know" is another unintentionally-humorous number, and "It's Just Me" simply confuses the hell out of me. It's like a paradox; they've included this song on their album, but yet they aren't singing about consuming large amounts of hallucinogens and/or paint chips. Not to mention their continuing almost blatant rip-off of Lies For the Liars. I have to say, what worked for The Used is definitely not working for them.
Without having to look it up, I knew Feldmann produced. It seems like every band he produces now gets the exact same sound. After it was pointed out to me by Mr. Joe DeAndra, I realized the similarities between Cute Is What We Aim For's new album and The Used's -- and now I've got another to add to the list. It was great when McCracken and crew pulled it off, but come on, Escape the Fate.
Do I really need a conclusion paragraph for this review? I think it basically speaks for itself, and summing it up would be completely superfluous. If you're thirteen and I'm "ragging" on your favorite band here, I sincerely apologize.
The Used's Lies for the Liars; things John Feldmann produces; radio rock gone post-hardcore gone glam
myspace.com/escapethefate (http://www.myspace.com/escapethefate)