I found Trenches the same way (and same day) I found Once Nothing and Agonist: just browsing around Amazon and watching music videos on YouTube.The first song I heard off of Trenches' debut album was 'Sacrament,' a decent-paced song with clean vocals to start and some solid riffs in the middle. The clean vocals yield to screams that, when compared to the other acts I listen to, contrast - but only slightly. The screams aren't deep or guttural, but high, I guess. I can't explain it, but while it's nothing like Scar Symmetry's death growls, it's far from anything bad. If you're like me and have never listened to Haste the Day, it'll take a second to get used to Jimmy Ryan's screams, but once you do, you'll start to fully appreciate Trenches and their music.
The disc opens with 'Calling,' which doesn't ease in with a mellow intro or anything of the sort. It starts with Ryan's screams and some simple guitar work before it eases up in the middle with mutli-layered vocals that give the song extra atmosphere and depth. The song is more than worthy to be in that #1 spot.
Immediately following is 'Eyes Open,' which opens quietly, by comparison to 'Calling,' but it soon unfolds into another scream-fest with Ryan's vocals overlapping themselves at the ends. No complaints, though, especially not with the noticeable chords playing in tandem.
I touched on 'Sacrament,' and while that and the fourth track 'Trip the Landmines' are good tracks, my favourite lies in 'Pathways.' Opening with a simple drum act and a wonderfully executed riff that takes up half the song, 'Pathways' reels you in and you become so engrossed in the majesty of the track that you'll think the CD went to #6 when Ryan starts screaming at 2-minutes and change. A fantastic song with everything I could ask for, including a clean and light vocal conclusion by guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Joel Lauver that makes me feel like I'm floating down the highway.
'Bittersweet' follows and at 7:14 is an epic song (at least until we hit the ending track). With near-perfect multi-layering, the song unwraps as a picturesque package with clean vocals on top of two different guitar lines, one finger-picked and the other a thick riff, with the drums continuing endlessly in the back. At least until the piano and organ pick up around 4:50. As if the track couldn't get better, Lauver reenters with his keyboard and plays a simple tune, solo, until Phil Hook's drums come back in a moment or so later. A song on the same level as 'Pathways' if you ask me.
The next few tracks contain the thick, chugging riffs you'll come to expect from an act like Trenches. After having going through the first half of the CD, I listened to the second half knowing that without that sound, and Ryan's screaming vocals, they wouldn't be much of anything. It's more like a trademark that, when absent, is highly conspicuous. I'd like to mention 'Ocean Currents' for it's double bass kicks and for the time change I thought I detected. If it wasn't for the cymbals crashing in the back, I would've thought I was listening to Protest the Hero.
'Cornered' concludes the CD, the track being the aforementioned epic ending track. Clocking in at thirteen and a half minutes, it has a little bit of everything: screaming vocals, with some unexpectedly deeper growls layered over; clean vocals, with a crescendo of drums in the background; and a bad-ass guitar solo consuming the breakdown. The song has an unusual structure to me, with two similar breaks interspersed rather far from each other, a breakdown where I'd expect the bridge to be, and a solo I mistook for a coda - because it yielded to more screaming vocals and another break that turned out to be the real coda since it had a completely different sound from the rest of the song that came before it. Almost eight minutes in, the song surrenders to an array of ambient atmosphere; an unnerving, sort-of spacey theme that consists of just sounds with a simple piano melody being introduced later on. It's a great conclusion to what felt like an enormous album, but it was eerie nonetheless, especially when I listened with my Zune premium headphones/earbuds. Less than a minute to go, you'll pick up on what sounds like static or white noise and the ambience will gradually fade out whilst goosebumps fade in along your arms, (at least in my case).
Trenches' debut album is great. It has an array of different vocal styles utilized by both the lead singer and back vocalist, memorable drum work and catchy solos. Several of the songs demonstrate the band's experimental side with the atmospheric vibe exuded via multi-layered hymns and lyrics. Simply spectacular.
And 'Pathways' is the best song I've heard in a while.
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