I covered blessthefall's debut back in July and might as well have given it four out of five stars. Eh, maybe four and a quarter. I praised the metalcore sound, the hard thrashing and the melodic interludes in between. The couple songs that strayed a bit away from the aggressive turned me off a little, but not enough to dissuade me from ever listening to the album again - unlike my sentiments for Finger Eleven. Those guys are just terrible.Anyway, back to the matter at hand - Arizona's blessthefall has returned with their second album, Witness, and it starts off great. Thick riffs coupled with loud, anthem-like screams make up the intro-track '2.0,' which crossfade into 'What's Left of Me,' a song almost on par with His Last Walk's 'Message to the Unknown.' Crazy screaming side-step with clean lyrics while insane guitar picking rages in the background. The track has a kick-ass, almost dreamy bridge sequence, before predictably melting into a heavy conclusion. Kick - ass.
'To Hell & Back' is catchy with its delivery and keeps the intensity from dipping. All fans across the globe will headbang to this song simultaneously. And then the Earth will explode.
The lead single of the album, 'God Wears Gucci,' has both a head-scratching title and the makings of a great song. A catchy, melodic chorus; double-bass kicks that my stereo system would die for; amazing fret-work in the background (Frisby and Lambert have not and will not disappoint); and a great synthesis between Bokan's clean singing and fierce screams.
'Hey Baby (Here's That Song You Wanted)' is another consistently good song and the album's title track, which follows, begins with the heaviest intro on the whole disc thus far. I hearken back to when I first heard 'Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad' rock my car stereo and how my nose nearly bled all over my uniform cuz of the insanity.
'Last Ones Left' reminds me slightly of another good act, Saosin, in the song's delivery. 'Five Ninety' opens with a wicked drum-solo and 'We'll Sleep When We're Dead' uses a sort-of synth-style opening that is adds a little variety to a heavy metalcore album.
If you haven't noticed, the album is very consistent in just about all aspects. It's heavy - full of screams and double-bass kicks, and thick riffs with a lot of talented fingers maneuvering along the necks of these guitars. There might be some people docking points due to a lack of variety, but in this day and age, it's hard to be unique and try new things. If you ask me, why try something new and risk wasting time when it could be spent on something you know you like, you know other people would like. I apply that to food - and music, apparently. The formula BTF developed with their debut worked to great effect - so they're back. They crank up the intensity a little, but keep the formula almost unchanged, which shouldn't warrant any complaints. Disturbed is still the same after all these years; Slipknot has evolved into a mesh of their second and third album's, which isn't new to the ears of those who know all their work already - I could go on, but you get the idea.
I conclude by mentioning that this album is available for pre-order currently and will be available for purchase October 6th. Whether or not I get lucky and win a copy in the various contests I have entered, I will still own this CD - one way or another. If you're a metalcore fan, I suggest you follow suit.
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