Review by Maverick on February 4, 2024.

Let me start by saying that this band was one of first heavy bands I've listened to, and if it wasn't for this album. I don't think I would've been able to appreciate anything heavy, even so, my tastes have grown. However I think that this band deserves a healthy applause for what they have offered us in this release. Yes, this is not for metal puritans, this album is for those who are new to the concept of heavy music. I believe this album contains some good stuff.

The first thing that I like about this album are the guitars, it has a very thick sound. These riffs are all very intricate, we have typical metalcore riffs as well as some melodic death riffs here and there. The badass utilization of the guitar sound in "Rose of Sharyn" is really awesome, and I think the song itself may well be the best song recorded in the album.

The second thing I liked was the drumming, it draws some comparison with As I Lay Dying and Trivium's style of drumming. Sounding like the drummer was really enjoying himself when he played this, it's not that irritating "I are br00tal kid" drumming you find in bands like Memphis May Fire, there is a sense of metallic decency here, the hardcore routes were easy to detect, but very respectable.

The third thing that stood out to me was Howard Jones' vocals. Jones has very good vox, he switches between metalcore growls and clean singing which sounds very much like a symphonic metal vocalist. No emo bullshit, very masculine and elegant. "Breathe Life" was the best vocal performance of Howard on the album. Very good.

All in all, a very respectable metalcore release. I think this album is very underrated, and it's disgusting. A release I recommend for metallic newcomers, get this.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10