Becoming adults can be the most confusing, yet monumental period of time in life. Some people take longer than others to reach a moment of stability in their lives; others continue to search for themselves past their high school years.
The Ghost Inside gives hardcore fans of all ages Dear Youth, a concept album that trumps Taylor Swift’s idea of what growing up is like. While the album releases on Nov 17 on Epitaph Records, Alternative Press is currently streaming the album in its entirety.
I started this show with high expectations hoping that every band would hit it off. I felt there were more emotion from the crowd then the bands themselves. Even though it was the last few days of the tour, they should still have some energy to put on the same performance as the first few shows. I have seen all of these bands before and it just was not the same this time.
Letlive was the opening band and I had really high expectations for them for seeing them at Vans Warped Tour 2013. Quite disappointing. I paid to see a show not some monkey jumping around for a half an hour. Letlive will be coming back to Portland in May with Architects in a smaller venue and maybe Jason will feel the need to actually perform. Letlive is a humble band, but the performance was poor and the crowd was not happy with them during the show. On another note Jason does NOT care about the venues rules or anything. Jumping on PA systems and the venues sound equipment isn’t just unsafe, but can damage them. I will be surprised if letlive in a few years can even get shows in a decent venue since venues will be put up with his shit.
Issues was the only band on this tour that actually put in energy to their show and made it entertaining. I was not a huge fan of Issues until after they played. They put on an awesome show while entertaining the fans. The crowd had more of an reaction towards them compared to the other bands. They put in the same energy compared to the show they played in November with Sleeping with Sirens and Our Last Night. Issues will never let down their fans.
This was the fourth time I have seen Of Mice & Men. Since I have seen their stage performance before I had REALLY high expectations for their set. Disappointed. Since they have got their new vocalist, Aaron Pauley they have only played new songs off Restoring Force. The new album does not have the heart and the backbone of old Of Mice. It makes you wonder if another band got suckered in the music industry and will slowly deplete their talent. Why is Of mice & men using 7 strings when they are still an over rated Post hardcore band. If they wanted to become a heavy metal band, get rid of the cleans and up those screams Carlile. There is NO reason for a band like this to use 7 strings. The show they put on was disappointing.
The headliner, Bring me the horizon actually surprised me. Not with their stage presence but with the stage effects. They made use of the stage with a second stage set up for their keyboardist and Drummer. They interacted with the fans and Oliver Sykes actually didn’t sound like shit with his vocals this time. I only stayed for four songs but the crowd was enjoying them and they put on a hell of a show. Their setlist was disappointing with mostly only playing their new stuff. The actually show performance from them was disappointing only because I saw the crowd singing more then Oliver Sykes himself.
Every once in a while, a band will come out of nowhere and blow everyone else out of the water. letlive is that kind of band, and “The Blackest Beautiful” is that kind of record.
letlive (yes spelled like that) is rebellious, aggressive, funky and addicting all in one sound. The pack leader, Jason Butler (vocals), is ignited from start to finish on this album and burns until there is nothing left in him, and then he gives it a little more. He sets a lyrical flame on every song with a jagged sound, gutter screams, and a scaling voice that can peak and descend at any moment. The band will get their point across in every song and their themes are very powerful. letlive has a running aspect of having strong, mature, and honest lyrics in all their songs, and that stands true here. In fact, vocally and lyrically this is letlive’s greatest work. Jason Butler absolutely killed it, and he will kill it every show he plays. letlive puts on one of the energetic live performances you’ll ever see. Musically letlive has some incredible musicians. The guitar and bass work is top notch and extremely creative with a mix of thrash, emotional overtones and odd rhythmic patterns, while the drumming accents and conducts the overall orchestration of each song.
The first single and music video from the album, “Banshee (Ghost Fame)”, gives a very broad idea of what the entire album is like. “Empty Elvis” is a straight up aggressive ‘Rage Against The Machine’ style track, while a song like “Virgin Dirt” might be the darkest and moodiest song letlive’s ever created. The band took what they did in their last critically acclaimed album, “Fake History” and outdid themselves. A couple songs that really stood out were “White America’s Beautiful Black Market”, a song that is a call to arms with political shout-outs and emotional words, and “Dreamer’s Disease”, a thrashy track about brute honestly in this world.
Honestly, listening to this album is a lot to take in. It’s one of those album that you’ll listen too once through and have to replay the entire thing because you won’t believe what you’re listening too. It’s an incredible record to say the least. Some transitions between choruses felt a bit forced on a couple tracks, but overall they made it work. letlive is going to take the lead in the post-hardcore scene. Do yourself a favor and check out “The Blackest Beautiful”, and see letlive’s incredible live show this year on the Vans Warped Tour.
9.5/10
Pierce The Veil - Collide With The Sky
Record Label: Fearless Records
Release Date: July 17th, 2012
Pierce the Veil is breaking down walls with their 3rd album, Collide With The Sky, announced for the first time back in December of last year. Earlier this year in February, they updated us all on the producers they’d chosen to work with, Dan Korneff and Kato Khandwala from House of Loud in New Jersey. I have to give them all a round of applause, because the album came out awesome. When I heard PTV for the first time ever, I was automatically drawn to Vic Fuentes’ unique vocals and the exciting instrumentals the band offers. Thankfully, the band kept this same edge-of-the-seat sound for the new album - a fantastic display of the energy they’ve always had, and even added a bit more heaviness. The first single released off the new album back in early June, ‘King for a Day’, really allowed every band member to shine, even with guest feature Kellin Quinn from Sleeping with Sirens. As I kept listening, I noticed this is a reoccurring theme with each song, where every one gets to show off without drowning the others out. This is exactly where a good song comes from, so others should be taking notes.
It seems to be a popular new addition for a handful of bands, so yes, some electronics make their way into Collide With The Sky. But if that’s not your thing, have no fear, because it’s not an over whelming amount and it fuses into their structure really well. Not only are synths and electronics found on a few tracks, but they’ve added some moderate breakdowns in their heavier songs, as heard in track number 7, “Tangled In The Great Escape” featuring Jason Butler of letlive (who has a great voice that complements Vic’s very well). I’ve got a feeling this will go over really well with mosh-lover fans like myself, it certainly doesn’t bother me. The best part is that even with these newer sounds mixed in, you’re going to want to keep the album playing on repeat anyway. The band has a truly captivating sound.
It wouldn’t be settling if I told you not to check out all 12 new songs on the album, but hey, if that’s not your plan, definitely look into “I’m Low on Gas and You Need a Jacket” and “Hell Above,” which happen to be my favorites. Luckily for all of us, PTV’s infectious sound and energy is currently present on the Van’s Warped Tour, which still has a good month or so left to it. I’m sure they’ll put on a sweet show for their fans. I haven’t seen any setlists from the tour with any new songs besides “King For a Day,” but who knows, they could surprise us. So make sure to go and check them out if you’re planning on attending!
9/10
- Kim
