SCARS OF TOMMOROW „The Horror of Realization”

Music: Metalcore
Country: USA
Website: http://www.scarsoftomorrow.net


Cool Songs: The False Love in Lust, Murders and Madmen, The Hidden Grudge, Onthe15, 4Smith, The Autumn Bleeding

Last year’s Victory label debut (and third album all up) – ‘Rope Tied To The Trigger’- from Orange County’s ‘Scars of Tomorrow’ made all the right moves as far as consolidating their place in the middle tier of America’s Metalcore scene was concerned. It certainly didn’t reinvent the genre by any means, nor did it make any drastic directional changes from their previous output. It was however a brutally heavy slab of metallic hardcore only further accentuated by the bludgeoning profound production afforded to it by Converge’s Kurt Ballou. With this new full length, the band seemed to have realised that stagnation would mean death and have adapted their approach accordingly.

Now, when I say adapted, I don’t mean that wholesale changes have occurred here. No, this is still very much a somewhat typical Metalcore release circa 2005. For some, that assessment will be nowhere near good enough for them to continue reading this little rant. However, it is clear that ‘Scars’ have addressed some major foibles that may have held them back in the past. The most notable change has occurred in the tempo department. ‘The Horror..’, whilst stylistically still that obligatory hybrid of Hardcore and the metallic NWOAHM sound, appears to be a more upbeat affair. And while it never hits light speed tempos, there is an increased riff laden groove element that permeates this album and one that almost dispenses with the typical ‘breakdown’ mosh sections.

Guitarists Carlos Garcia and David Rodriguez have much to do with this new found energy – granted they don’t exactly peel off genre defining riffs (in fact there is nothing on this that hasn’t been tried before) – it’s just that they have been able to keep things interesting and fresh throughout. Dropping Cave-In-esque shimmering/spacey lead work is also a plus. Overall, everything sounds a lot more versatile, edgier and most importantly hookier than before.

It is also interesting to note that ‘THOR’ has a much cleaner, less confronting production. Employing the skills of Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Mastodon) has allowed ‘SOT’ to capture a warmer guitar line and while it’s significantly lighter than the brutal crush of ‘Rope…’ there is an added depth to the whole sound of ‘THOR’. Furthermore as a link to this apparent warmer feel, the band also attempts to write (and rather successfully I might add) some slower atmospheric pieces for variation and colour. A track like ‘SSnova’ has a real Neurosis vibe, ‘4Smith’ had me thinking My Dying Bride and the closing ‘Onthe15’ employed a real Isis meets Cave-In like quality.

Along with the musical improvements that ‘SOT’ has made on this new album, vocalist Mike Milford has also been dragged along for the ride. Now, Mike is not the most versatile of vocalists, but he has at least employed some subtle effects and nuances to his approach whilst still maintaining that essential Metalcore vocal rage! The most striking aspect about Mike’s harsher death/shouts is how much he reminds me of Jeff Walker (Carcass circa ‘Swansong’). So close is his style that you’d be forgiven for thinking ‘SOT’ had dusted off Jeff for a guest vocal spot. The other good thing about Mike’s efforts is that when he feels the need to opt for the ‘clean’ section, he avoids employing anything overly saccharine or melodic, but rather a more forceful dramatic tone. Good move.

‘THOR’ is a definite improvement for ‘Scars of Tomorrow’. Granted, it won’t cause any of their peers to reassess the direction of Metalcore, but at least it sticks to a fairly mean groove and remains interesting enough to warrant repeated listening. I’m also partial to its cleaner sound and while it’s far from a ‘commercial’ venture ala Atreyu or Aiden, this album has the potential to put ‘SOT’ a couple of rungs further up a very overcrowded ladder. At the very least, they’re not hanging by their fingertips anymore.

note: 7.8

Tracklist

The Constant Horror of Reality
The False Love in Lust
Murderers and Madmen
SSNova
The Hidden Grudge
The Marks of Time
The Unknown
4Smith
The Autumn Bleeding
The Struggle
Onthe15