Album Review: Escape The Fate - Escape The Fate
Hot out of the US hardcore scene, Escape The Fate have already established themselves as front-runners in the LA mix. With an ever growing fan-base and two full length studio albums already under their belt, they return again with their third LP release, ‘Escape The Fate’.The album starts with an interesting piece of music that sounds more like a film score than an album opener. ‘Choose Your Fate’ incorporates various instruments and sounds with an effective mix of digital and orchestral elements that compositionally sets the song apart from the rest of the album.
Following this, ‘Massacre’ and their latest single ‘Issues’ both seem to adopt a really nostalgic sound about them; you can’t really put your finger on it, but it’s a bit like AFI mixed in with a little Atreyu.
In saying that, both tracks incorporate some slick riffs with some pretty dark melodies that make them a couple of classic anthems that’ll get you singing along for sure; but like I said, it all seems so familiar. I share the same sentiment again with tracks like ‘Gorgeous Nightmare’, ‘City Of Sin’ and ‘Lost In Darkness’ which all have that same vibe.
‘Day Of Wreckoning’ seems to escape this trend and sees the band returning to their metalcore roots. Much like with Avenged Sevenfold, this grittier, old-school sound seems to work in their favour; as opposed to the clean-cut feel that seems to encompass the rest of the album the heavier tracks seem to resonate more and pulls the album together.
It has to be said, Brian “Monte” Money is a phenomenal guitarist and Craig Mabbitt’s vocals are second to none, but when you listen to the album you just wish there was something a little more creative or experimental in it that really shows this all off. Again, the lyrics aren’t really a strong point in the album; there’s a sense of romance about it all but there isn’t much in the way of sophistication.
As is the tradition with heavier bands nowadays, ‘World Around Me’ is your typical slow-jam included on the album to try and mix up the pace a bit. I have to say, they certainly achieve this by creating an emotional and technically sound track that seems to avoid cliché, incorporating various piano and stringed elements, it really gels.
A bit like Metallica’s epic ‘Unforgiven’ trilogy, Escape The Fate have included their very own throughout their studio releases. The final ‘Guillotine’ track and the final track on the album, ‘The Aftermath (G3)’, is another solid effort that really saves the album; from start to finish, the manic guitar solos, the booming double bass and the powerful leading vocals all make you realise what this band is all about and what they are truly capable of; an outstanding climax which adopts a refined sound that should have, in my opinion, been used throughout the entire album.
Whilst Escape The Fate have created a pretty decent album that clearly demonstrates their growth as a band, I don’t think it quite matches the expectation it was surrounded in prior to its release. With the band embarking on a European tour throughout this month; it’ll be great to see how these songs transfer to a live performance as I’m sure the band have more to offer than what the album lets on.
3/5
‘Escape The Fate’ by Escape The Fate is available now through Interscope Records.
Official Website
Escape The Fate on MySpace and Facebook.
Sandeep Dawett
