Here’s yet another excellently put together, self – released effort, this time from Phoenix, Arizona’s Loren Battle, however, the music isn’t quite as promising as the cover art and self described mix of “beauty and brutality”.

What we have here is a very predictable style of metalcore that’s on the heavier end of the spectrum bordering on pseudo death metal/deathcore, but throws in some music ruining clean vocals that offset the competent and enjoyable heavier moments. They are not catchy or well placed clean vocals a la Kingston Falls or even pop punk like A Day to Remember, but the kind of whiny, off putting and forced clean vocals that ruin bands like The Devils Wears Prada and From Autumn to Ashes (which is ironic as both clean vocalists are also the drummers). And it’s really a shame, because otherwise, Loren Battle’s take on the genre is otherwise solid and fits in along with the likes of Whisteria Cottage, Architects (UK), As I Lay Dying, Mychildren My Bride and a host of other Hot Topic minded metalcore acts – and thus that’s their downfall.

The mix of solid music and questionable clean vocals is put on display right away with opener “A Hero’s Nightmare” and “Finest Hour” where the well produced, relatively tight and well played music plying the expected mix of galloping harmonies and sturdy breakdowns is simply derailed by Ryan Mabee’s woeful clean vocals. However, third track “3 Ft Funeral” ratchets up the intensity and hints at Loren Battles ability when they just focus on riffs and solos, rather than choruses or clean vocals. They try a little hard to be death metal in parts of “Remember the Archer”, thought it has some nice guitar work- again hinting at the bands grasp of the genres requisite elements -but again, those damn clean vocals surface. “Paper Hearts + Scissors” is one of the albums other decent cuts with some nice structures that should male the desired target audience kick each other in the face.

The rest of the album follows suite with plenty of stuff to appease the kids, and occasional glimpses of a more metal promise, but generally the kid of fluff that most ‘real’ metal heads will glower at. I’m somewhere in between-a t time Loren Battle actually do entertain me such as moments of “Werewolves in Love” and “When Angels Sin”, but other times they are no different from any other young, trend hopping act plying the same style, blending into the myspace masses and making metal for kids. However, there is rumored to be a ‘new’ album out In June, so I may give them another chance to see if they have improved, or at least got rid of or improved the clean vocals.

[Visit the band's website]

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