Abandon All Ships - Abandon All Ships EP
Release Date: February 24, 2009
Record Label: Unsigned
Ohhhhhhhh boy. Here we go again. Another electro-clad screamo band that features plenty of synth, even more auto-tune, an assortment of br00tal breakdowns and everyone's favorite! obnoxious delicious crabcore moves! That's basically the gist of this Canadian sextet known as Abandon All Ships. This specific labeling automatically brings up red flags everywhere for just about everyone (not to mention they are signed to the openly hated Rise Records). But honestly, for what these guys are trying to accomplish, they make it work. Most bands in this genre (*cough* Attack *cough* Attack! *cough*) try to incorporate sceney pop abominations in with the synth beats which for me (and most I'm sure) just obliterates any chance I have of considering the "music" produced as quality tuneage. AAS, however, have decided to choose a different, more respectable route in the electronic/screamo genre with their first self-titled EP. One route that has been taken semi-successfully by bands such as I See Stars. Not incorporating anything that doesn't belong, just staying true to the "synthcore" or whatever you want to call it genre.
With all that nonsense and such out of the way (it's been said a thousand times, why not once more?!) there is obviously nothing fantastically new or groundbreaking about this album. A very normal sing/scream ratio with plenty of fist-pumping synth beats and breakdowns placed here and there throughout the album. It's all been done before, and it's been done badly. Though there is nothing new to be heard on this EP, for what AAS does, they do it rather well. Synth is well placed, and not overused. Yeah the clean vocals are autotuned enough to make one and a half T-Pain albums but hey! It actually goes rather well with the rest of the instrumentation, and unclean vocalist Angelo Aita really (for lack of a better phrase) "tears it up" with tremendous delivery (see "Pedestrians is Another Word for Speed Bump" and "Megawacko").
Openly Christian lyrics are featured throughout the entire five song EP. Lines like "Sin is the anchor holding you down/God is your captain, change your direction" and "In the beginning I used to believe/ That you were no savior but I was naive/ You were a stranger that I couldn't see/ Now I'm in danger please set me free" don't hold the Christianity back. Though these lyrics are all about religion there is nothing truly deep or meaningful about any of them. Just a guy expressing his faith through the gloriousness of song I suppose.
So with this EP it's basically Attack Attack! minus the obnoxious interludes and poppy dance beats, which, once you think about it, is actually a pretty decent thing. I don't know exactly what these guys are doing right, but it makes me anxious for a full length in the near future.
good review. i'm not exactly crazy about these guys, and they're not at all breaking any new ground, but their synth player is fantastic. and that alone puts them over 90% of the electrocore bands out there with almost all awful synth players.
I would like to thank you for writing a positve review of this EP. As hated as they are, I really like them and can't wait for the full length
Well you're welcome. I really like them too. I don't know why I do, there's just something about them that makes me want to keep listening to them and i thought hey! No one has reviewed this so far and mines well shine some light on an already hated band in an already hated genre.
Well you're welcome. I really like them too. I don't know why I do, there's just something about them that makes me want to keep listening to them and i thought hey! No one has reviewed this so far and mines well shine some light on an already hated band in an already hated genre.
Have you ever seen them live? I think they put on a fun show too
That would be a great show, isn't Confide on the tour? If so, they are such a great live band
Yes they are! Have yet to get into them but I've listened to a few songs and liked them. Very Underoath pre-Define The Great Line feel to them.....just a lot less singing.
Yes they are! Have yet to get into them but I've listened to a few songs and liked them. Very Underoath pre-Define The Great Line feel to them.....just a lot less singing.
I got too see them play Warped but they only thing I didn't like was that they only played on older song
Anymore, I See Stars is the only band in this "electro-screamo/metalcore" genre that I can stand to listen to because I feel despite their cliches, they have potential. Bands like these guys, Attack Attack!, and Asking Alexandria are so incredibly painful to listen to. I feel like it's all the same sing/scream/breakdown/repeat formula with auto-tune mixed in. I really don't know how to take bands like that seriously.
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