If I told you that Darkest Hour’s Deliver Us would be the second best thrash/metalcore record that Victory would release in 2007, you would have called me crazy, but if you actually give the Victory debut from Nodes of Ranvier an open minded listen , you might not think I was so crazy after all.
Lying somewhere between Darkest Hour and the new August Burns Red but with a splash more hardcore, Nodes Of Ranvier, after three relatively minor but quality releases have simply exploded with Defined By Struggle; It rocks harder, rips deeper, thrashes more, has numerous catchy memorable hooks and simply reeks of a band peaking with confidence.
After the opening introductory rumble and chant of “Sermon”, the attention grasping opening salvo of “Valjean” grabs you and never let’s go with fervent blasting, stern rumbles and hoarse shouts from Kyle Beneke (arguably the band’s most ‘hardcore’ element). Then after the solid “Endless Faith”, you get the amazing “Purpose In Pain” with one of the more rousing choruses and guitar lines I’ve heard in 2007 (I’m sure if you watch MTV2/Headbangers Ball, you’ve seen Victory’s promo clip a thousand times), though the brief clean vocals are a bit unnecessary.
You’d the think the album might let down after that relative highlight, but no, Nodes continues the high quality assault with the likes of the title track, blast laden “Archegos”, steady thrash chug of “Sergeant Sorrow”, the moody instrumental “Nagheenanajar”, the urgent “Confront and precisely paced closer “Infidelity”; the band just seems to be firing on all cylinders for virtually every track and clicking in every aspect of the album.
If you take a chance on one album this year by a band you would never normally check out, I recommend you give this surprisingly deft and honestly impressive album a try.
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you could say im a fan of this genre of music (i.e. the name^) but i cannot stand the clear poppy vocals sticking out like a horrible sore in each song and these days it makes “hardcore” music slim pickins for me.
when i saw the video for glass half nothing i kept getting atreyu flash backs and i found myself screaming “take the fucking mic away from your goddamn drummer …” and the cursing continues. this band could be so much more but like atreyu they found a nitche with their current vocal “stylings.” and much to my dismay they will never take his mic away… sigh..
on Dec 26th, 2009 at 05:55