This Or The Apocalypse Dead Years Album Review

Album Review

This Or The Apocalypse
Dead Years (2012)

1) Hell Praiser
2) Powerhawk
3) In Wolves
4) Americans
5) Hate The Ones You Love
6) You Own No One But You
7) A Damn Moment
8) Gaunt and Fierce
9) Kill'Em With Guidance
10) Hard Branch to Snap





I was initially pulled in to TOTA by their musicianship - these guys are talented, very talented. Their blend of interesting rhythms and polyrhythms interlocked with memorable melodies and harmonies, some of the most impressive drumming to hit the genre and a singer with some true lyrical talent and a Rob Flynn level of aggression was not only inspiring but a gift that kept giving. Every listen through leads you to a melody you missed the first time, a perfectly placed cymbal accent, or a lyric you didn't quite catch that just keeps their albums on repeat for weeks.

Great albums can sometimes be a double edged sword for bands; they open your sound up to new ears and often solidify your position in the genre, but on the other hand, they set up a precedent for all albums to come. For me, This Or The Apocalypse's previous release "Haunt What's Left" was one of those albums. It is easily one of my favourite albums of all time and in my opinion, was the perfect balance of musicianship, lyrics and raw emotion, that at the time set it apart from everything else on offer.

Needless to say then, the wait for their newest release "Dead Years" was filled with much anticipation and high hopes, but did it deliver?

First Impressions...

With the above in mind, If you choose to give TOTA a go, which I strongly suggest you do, ensure you listen to Dead Years at least twice before passing judgement. Even though I am a huge fan of the band, the first listen through for me was, to be honest, lacklustre. It sounded too relient on breakdowns, less clean vocals, less melody, less guitar technicality and the magic of Grant MacFarland behind the kit had seemed to disappear. But after I took off the rose coloured glasses that came free with Haunt What's Left I delved deeper in to Dead Years and the magic is definitely still there, it's just a different magic.

Vocals

Straight from the get go, you can see the work vocalist Ricky Armellino has put in between albums, kicking off the album in brilliantly metal fashion with opening line - "I want to see the powerless rise, and BURN EVERYTHING YOU LOVE". The screams are well layered, pacing continues to improve, and the lyrics are still some of the best in metal today - filled with strong opinions and confronting questions, instead of cliche one liners.

On the technical side, he has a much better grip on his vocal range, often going from his standard mid-range aural assault to bellowing lows and screeching highs. I found this element much more engaging than in Haunt What's Left and it really made me hang on every word. His annunciation has also improved. As in the previous album, the use of gang vocals is strong. I'm not usually a gang vocal fan but I think it really works here. When you're listening, it feels like there's an audience screaming their hearts out along with him and the atmosphere created is just awesome.

On the cleaner side - there's less on this album than previous. I'm not 100% sure who is taking the lead here, but they clearly have a small range and unfortunately come up short of making it interesting or memorable. 'In Wolves' is an example of this. Besides sounding generic, the chorus' don't have much deviation and it feels like the melodies were written for a stronger vocalist and then under performed. I may sound harsh, but these guys aren't singers and I thought that on 'Haunt What's Left' they approached this in a better way, with a sort of yelling/gang vocal sound (check 'Lamnidae' or 'Subverse' for reference) and I feel this direction should've been continued. An interesting exception is the guest appearance in 'You Own No One But You'. I actually really like this song, and this passage. Does it fit the rest of the album? Probably not - Does it sound like TOTA? Not really... but do I care? No - just roll with it, it's a well written section and works well with the song.

Drums...

'Haunt What's Left', and earlier album 'Monuments' showed the immense talent of Grant MacFarland, who in my opinion really took TOTA's music to the next level. Working in absolute harmony with the guitar rhythms and melodies, he always managed to show off enough to make you appreciate the talent, while not taking over and detracting from the vocals or other instruments. 

This time around, Aaron Ovecka has the sticks, and while it's still very enjoyable, the uniqueness and flare just aren't there. He seems stuck in the shadow of MacFarland at present, but hopefully will take control and really add his touch and make the tracks his own for their next album. There are some exceptions like the aforementioned vocal passage in 'You Own No One But You' where he is left to groove and show his chops a little more. But apart from this, he's just a solid drummer that keeps the songs pushing along, which is great, but more time spent with intricacies would've really set him apart from the rest.

Guitars and Bass...

Guitarists Jack Esbanshade and Rodney Phillips and bassist Matthew Marcellus once again prove they have great control over their sound. Unfortunately though, it feels like they're holding back a bit here, with the majority of the parts being more chordal based and rhythm heavy, instead of the melodic string skipping adventures of songs like 'Lamidae' or the ferocious precision and speed of old favourite 'Elegiac'. These parts aren't completely gone, just a bit more hidden. Having said that, the rhythms aren't predictable, the chord voicing is interesting and the lead melodies are beautifully layered and compliment the mood of the songs perfectly. The less guitar heavy approach has subsequently made the vocals more salient on this album, and I feel that this was a good creative decision and fits the mood of the album better.

Jack & Rodney improving your chops on youtube.

One thing they all do very well is stay in the pocket, and after watching many live videos (one day they'll come to Australia...right?) this is something that's not just for the album. The groove that was so gripping in 'Haunt What's Left' is certainly still here - there are innumerable moments in this album where you'll just want to fight imaginary robots in your living room, or car, or the bus on the way to work because it's just so infectious it's impossible not to move your head in time with the music.

Verdict...

Dead Years is one of those albums that will get ingrained in to every day life. There is so much to like about this album that my small quibbles can be boiled down to my unrealistic expectations following Haunt What's Left. It has enough to make the general metalhead happy in the way of crushing breakdowns and anthemic one-liners but so much more to offer the listener that wants continual satisfaction, not just cheap thrills. Where This Or The Apocalypse really stand apart is the groove, intricacies in the music and lyrics that come straight from the soul of one very pissed off gentleman.       I still can't understand why this band isn't huge in the scene - if you haven't heard of these guys, do your self a massive favour, buy the CD and crank it to 11, you'll never look back.

Dead Years - 8.5/10

Only have time for a song or two?

'Americans', 'Hate The Ones You Love'

Previous Albums

Haunt What's Left (2010)

Monuments (2008)

Sentinels (2006)