I remember a few years back there was a band called A Day To Remember that played a form of music that involved melodic hardcore and metalcore. Well, they’re still around but the mixing of those two styles is long gone for them… and I’d rather not talk highly of them anymore as the mainstream got the best of them.

Reason I bring them up is that this band, No Bragging Rights, sounds an awful lot like older A Day To Remember and to be honest that isn’t a bad thing at all. Their new album Illuminator has all the elements for a strong album with catchy vocals and great instrumentation. There’s also an overall sense of diversity that helps to keep things interesting throughout, despite all the clean vocals.

Opening the album strong, with a song called “Beautiful and Spineless”, one can tell there is a certain mindset dwelling deep beneath the music: An almost unsettling, yet completely uplifting go-for-the-throat effect. The song introduces the listener with a nice two step opening and it’s this melodic hardcore approach that leads the listener from one point to the next.

Continuing on we get even more catchier (“Weeding Out The Weak,” “The Prospect,” “Blind Faith”) and aggressive (“Illuminator,” “And They Threatened Us With Fire,” “Death Of An Era”) songs that will leave you wanting more. If Every New Day (yes the infamous and underrated melodic hardcore band on Hand of Hope Records) had a more metallic background and felt a few breakdowns were needed to spruce up the action…No Bragging Rights would be that band.

The way the band seamlessly mixes the genres is beyond masterful, as most other bands that try to mix these genres never exactly get it right. Each and every song is playful and uplifting. Most of all, there are no cheesy ballads and only one of the songs is an instrumental, so all I can really say is that: Illuminator is pure gold.

[Visit the band's website]

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