I Am Abomination - To Our Forefathers
Record Company: Good Fight Music
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Good music today is easy to find if one suspends the need for creativity and originality and instead replaces it with dumb fun, brutal breakdowns, gang vocals, and sing-a-long-able choruses. I, myself am guilty of such things. I admit liking (possibly even loving some) bands like A Day to Remember, Miss May I, We Came as Romans, and company. The appeal is too much to deny for some of us, and -- let's face it -- if we raise our expectations too high, we're often let down. In fact, I come to expect mediocrity because my favorite genre of music is just filled with it. So when a band like I Am Abomination comes along with a superb album like To Our Forefathers and completely blows away my prejudices and misconceptions, I find myself filled with a sense of enjoyment and embarrassment.
To Our Forefathers opens with "Since 1776", a song about The Illuminati and filled with killer leads and one of many solos found on the album. It's a beast of a song that really sets the overall tone for the album. "Thoughtcrime Is Death" features some interesting electronics and instrumentation throughout. "The Deceiver" is perhaps one of the most notable songs on the album, with its atheist-themed lyrics, great solo, and half-way screams. It's more of a tease than anything, but fret not children, as we move on to "Rock N' No Soul" the only song with legitimate screaming. Performing the duty is none other than David Stephens of We Came as Romans. Love or hate that band, one cannot deny the performance and unexpectedness he brings to the track. Listening to the album for the first time, I was disappointed that screaming only appeared on one song, but subsequent listens proved how much more the lack of screaming overall merely added to the quality of the album.
Musicianship is top-notch here, filled with crazy and creative leads that rather than chug along feel eerie and bubblegumish all at once. The vocals from Phil Druyor are splendidly surprising to find in a band like this, but they work and they work well. I definitely foresee his voice improving with each release. The lyrics, which never really settle on a major topic (it ranges from mocking religion to talking about society as a whole and then to something Government) are extremely well-written and intelligent.
I Am Abomination may be relatively new to the scene, but what they bring is something some veterans of the genre have long lost: passion. Mix passion and the amount of talent these guys possess and you're looking at the next big thing, because as good as this album is, I have a feeling this doesn't even begin to cover what this band can achieve.
Doesn't the lack of screams make the band, ya know, better?
From a creative standpoint, perhaps. But I like my screaming. Like I said though, for this particular band I wasn't really complaining after a few listens.
Thanks. Haha. It was hard for me to think of a good, complex band to relate these guys to, so I just went with that, because I mean, what's more complicated and awesome than that?
Thanks. Haha. It was hard for me to think of a good, complex band to relate these guys to, so I just went with that, because I mean, what's more complicated and awesome than that?
Thanks! Always like feedback, especially when it's positive. What did you think of the album?
No problem man, and I haven't taken a real close listen to it yet, but through the first play through I thought it was great. They have a real unique sound, and their guitarist is very impressive and their singer has one big set of pipes. As for the screaming, I only really enjoy Winston McCall-esque (mainly mids and lows) or melodic hardcore shouting [The Ghost Inside], which is hard to come by in most post-hardcore bands, and I thought it's a real nice change of pace for a post-hardcore type band to not scream, because in my opinion, it would've given them a generic sound. Also Since 1776 is a straight up jam and my favorite track.
And my man...don't be afraid to like ATDR, I know people give them a lot of shit, but they're soooooo catchy and were one of the first bands to fuse pop-punk and hardcore, which are probably my two favorite genres.
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