ALBUM REVIEW: VIOLENCE – TEAR OUT THE HEART

When I pick albums to review, it’s mostly luck of the draw. I pulled an email from many, grabbed the first one, and began listening. I listened to it, and listened to it, and listened to it some more. Tear Out the Heart’s new album Violence released last week, and has been in my rotation ever since.

This album has EVERYTHING that you could ever want in a metal album: a great intro, a full and varied body, and a capstone that sums up the album as a whole. It’s not exhaustingly long or overwrought with songs that were forced into it to meet a quota to make it an album vs. an EP, and it is interesting enough to keep listening to, allowing you to discover new features to savor as you plow through the tracks again and again.

I’ve listened to this album copiously, and I still have not tired of it. Although, it is obvious that this band has found themselves a formula to follow in both song writing and delivery, they have done it in such a way that it doesn’t feel contrived or forced. Elements that appear throughout the album are back and forth singing/growling, gothic pianos and undertones that balance and lighten, and a driving rhythm section that powers the backbone of this album. The exception to this is “Closure”, which is the song that is most akin to a “ballad.” Some of the songs have a palpable gothic flare, where in others, it is quite more subdued, but present nonetheless.

Another thing that I love about this album is that it almost feels like reading an anthology of stories that, when viewed from a high-level, paint an entire picture. It’s not a concept album (at least I don’t believe it is – it doesn’t feel like it is), but rather it plays like a book is read with a hook, a body that builds momentum, a twist in the middle, and a follow-through in the end that sums up all tracks and leaves you walking away with a satisfied feeling of accomplishment. Without trying to sound dumb, it is a cool album.

Let’s get to the music.

Opening up the album is “Dead by Dawn.” It delivers a little of everything that a listener can expect to experience aurally throughout the record. It has a dark, ominous intro that leads into a delicious onslaught of vicious drumming, back and forth lyrics alternating between clear vocals laced with delicate piano arpeggios, and fierce growls reinforced by bass driven heaviness which ultimately climax into a menacing spoken warning of “Time Heals Nothing.” It’s a wicked kick off!

Next up is “Infamous Last Words” which rains down a blistering hailstorm of snarls, guiding into a gothic choir backdrop that opens onto clean vocals. The chorus is solid and melodic, and when blended into the scenery painted by the song, provide a balance to the deep darkness of the same. This becomes the standard for the majority of the songs, and they all play together in similar fashion, but with mixed up nuances that allow for continued intrigue.

[embedplusvideo height=”281″ width=”450″ standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/342WIrm25K0?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=342WIrm25K0&width=450&height=281&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep4823″ /]

“Crucified” leaps in with an acidic and grinding intro, with searing screams and beats, leading into the clean vocals. Sounds bounce back and forth between the left and the right, filling a space with an aural attack, but then opening up into a moving verse of smooth vocals. The song has teeth, and attacks the aural space on multiple levels. There is a hint of keyboard delicacy dancing in the background, making this a titan of a song.

“Undead Anthem” has evil vocal staccato sounds that propel the song into the massive movement. The clean verse delivers a power that commands you want to sing along, but they guide you into the screams of “If it’s a War you want, it’s a War you got,” all pushed forward by the powerful rhythms in the drums and bass.

“Violence” has to be my absolute favorite song from this album. It has everything that I want in a metal song, from the harsh screams and growls to the amazing smooth chorus that makes me belt out along with it. The rhythms and beats have the sufficient punch, ebbing and flowing in a way that demands you to bang your head along with it. If there were to be a flagship song from this album, this one would be it.

“Coffin Eyes” is definitely a song that has a more commercial feel, as its theme and catchy chorus are definitely characteristic of top 40 feel songs, but set to a metal background that may not be suitable for the status quo. If any were to crossover into regular radio rotation, this one would be one of the top picks.

“Feed me a Stray Cat” is mesmerizing and rhythmic with a deep gothic base, but driving force, making for one wicked song. The vocals are acidic and rough, that alternate back and forth with the bewitching instrumental refrains.

“Eternal Shadows” is blistering from the get-go, with guttural chanting movements, flowing into the melodic refrains. The rhythmic lines are framed in the gothic tendrils that move forward within rapid fire drum beats. The gothic keyboards add continuity to this record, making this another stand-out song. This song features a higher pitched toned of screams, giving this song a multi-textural feel, ending in an emotional keyboard solo.

Now to the “ballad” of this collection: “Closure.” The main reason I say that this song is the ballad is because it’s not built like the other songs in this compilation. It is slower and has emotionally charged lyrics. The solo guitar work is moving and gorgeous. The song makes you want to close your eyes and lose yourself in the musical journey that the song takes you on, right until the final dissonant chord. That last chord gives the song the “Closure” the vocals allude to.

“Only Posers Die” has a heavy start, and undulating guitar moans highlighted with tintinnabulation. Where “Closure” ended on a melancholy note, this song ends on a big “Fuck You.” This is one of the scarce songs on this album that does not feature a clean vocal refrain or stanza. Whereas “Closure” was a ballad, this is its antithesis.

“Darker Tides” closes the album with message-driven and purposeful uplifting lyrics, as well as broad familiar musical features heard earlier in the album. The tempo push in the quick guitar strum in the opening introduction foreshadow that the song is going to move into a more stirring and positive message. This song has is more collaborative than opposing when it comes to the opposing vocal styles, in almost a sonic hand-shake. It incorporates cacophonic and soft piano elements in the final movements that are familiar from earlier songs. The guitars sing and the drums and bass charge forward right into the very last drop of sound. It is amazing, and makes you want to slip this album back in for another go.

I give this album 5 skulls. It really does get all the kudos I can give. Well done!