Reviews
Escape the Fate
Dying is Your Latest Fashion
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2006-11-29
One thing I don't do is listen to a lot of music from Las Vegas, but that’s mostly because I associate Las Vegas music with all those washed-up fuckers like Tom Jones and Celine Dion who go and perform in casinos. I wouldn't expect a punk band from Epitaph to originate from this neck of the woods. The way these guys outfit themselves reminds me of the Taste of Chaos tour that came to London last May. This is not a bad thing, necessarily. You could call them a poor man’s My Chemical Romance, but I think I just prefer to refer to them as a version of Thrice that I would prefer to listen to. This is a different kind of album than the ones that I have listened to lately, and that may have it by the balls.
Increased listens to this album help it stand apart in its genre. It is very emo at times, and I know that usually means that you should turn it off immediately. The range is out there though -- they have a bit of punk, a bit of emo and a bit of screamo.
"The Webs We Weave" is an alright start to the disc. It has most of what you want in a lead song: a fast pace and lots of guitar, and a little bit of screaming. I would say that’s my least favourite part of the album.
"Situations" starts with a staggered guitar, then becomes a bit more consistent once the song gets going. The riff isn't bad but I was more into the lyrics/vocals and what they were doing; with the staggered guitar, they were left posing questions that were answered with oooohs and awwwws. The build-up prior to the chorus on the track is pretty substantial, almost to the point where you think something would burst if they didn't decide to switch over to the chorus. Unfortunately, when the chorus finally hits it just isn’t that good.
The album runs for forty-three minutes, and to me it feels like a long forty-three minutes. I attribute this to the presence of emo in their sound. "The Guillotine" is the first song that really brings the screaming to the forefront. For a while it’s okay because it does become the focal point, but eventually you just get sick of it. The music is totally alright but it’s hard to overlook one of the louder things in existence when someone is screaming at the top of their lungs. I liked this stuff for a minute a few years ago, but I can’t remember why.
According to the seventh track, "There Is No Sympathy For The Dead." Which is a bold statement; it also is a complete bullshit statement. Anyway, that’s not important -- what is important is that this song is freaking crazy. It is one of the fastest-moving songs on the disc, which is a positive to me. The vocals that are sung are perfect but the ones that are screamed aren't so much to my liking. When I listen to the album I’m like a pendulum; just when I start to like it, the screaming takes over and it swings back to me being annoyed again.
The lead singer here is named Ronnie, and I was reading this thing that he says on the Epitaph website where he states how he doesn't want to come off like an asshole but in the same sentence assures us that Escape The Fate will be that change in music because he has a vision of fun and people putting their fist in the air. Hey, I don't doubt that it could happen, but if it does I don't know that I could join you, Ronnie, because I don't think this music is that fun.
"Friends And Alibis" is a particularly depressing track. The song is about how this guy is so in love that he's killing himself because it hurts so much, and I just don't get it. These guys definitely didn't get a solid lesson in being boys since they have so many damned emotions -- emotions are for dames! The song has a healthy dose of punk guitar, which I like, and the bass isn't that bad. But since they make it very easy for me to decipher the lyrics in this song I am left to be slightly annoyed. That’s okay though because this song actually is one of the better ones on the disc, even with the emotional lyrics.
The last song on the album -- "The Day I Left The Womb" -- turns out to be the saddest. It’s an interesting take because Ronnie is singing in an almost classic punk vocal style -- which is something that he hasn't done the whole disc -- and also because this song is so low key compared to the rest of the stuff on here. The unique style of this track makes it my favourite. The guitar is basically ignored, and I don’t mind because this track is all about the lyrics, which are the best on the album. It reminds me somewhat of the Nikola Sarecevic solo album.
Initially, I kind of thought that I would full-out hate this album. After a few listens it got a bit better, but not so much so that I was happy I asked for it to review. Occasionally this happens when you only listen to a few songs prior to actually hearing the album. I can honestly say that if I knew there would be this much screaming I would have ruled it out entirely. Emo and screamo aren't entirely high on my list of stuff I like to listen to, but for what it was worth, Escape The Fate certainly weren't horrible by any means.
Tracks to Steal: "Situations," "Reverse The Curse," "Friends And Alibis," "The Day I Left The Womb"
What happened with Escape The Fate? Do you think that they should hang up the screaming?
Score: 6.8
Listen; it is really simple: music with less screaming = higher score. That’s the formula.
- Brandon