Before Their Eyes – Redemption
Record Label: InVogue Records
Release Date: March 27, 2012
With all the fluctuations surrounding Before Their Eyes the past year, it’s a wonder Redemption even came to life. Vocalist left the band – and then rejoined; guitarist Landon Tewers also left the band, joining The Plot In You, so Jordan DiSorbo and Brandon Rosiar took his place; and the guys switched from Rise over to InVogue records. After all of these changes and tribulations, Redemption proves to be the perfect title for Before Their Eyes’ fourth record.
Despite the myriad of changes since 2010’s Untouchable, however, their fourth effort stays generally in the same ballpark as their last record. Whereas Untouchable dabbled in the pop direction while still taking very small steps toward a heavier sound – resulting in a messy, almost confusing genre lapse – Redemption has Nick Moore and crew veering more toward the heavy direction, falling back on the pop sound really only within choruses. Still, there’s nothing too dynamic here – it sounds exactly like what you’d expect from Before Their Eyes, as they seem to adopt the “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” ideology that will be perfect for fans but a turnoff for those looking for something new in this becoming-hackneyed genre.
All the same, not wasting any time, “Lies” kicks off with angry guitar licks and a guttural growl, Moore’s vocal introduction is clean, as are most of the vocals on choruses throughout the record. Thus, the chorus may remind fans of From First To Last’s last release, Throne To The Wolves, with light screams anchoring the otherwise upbeat delivery. The guys enlist the (unfortunately) rising stars of Breathe Carolina on “Dream,” giving fans a more definite route as to the direction Before Their Eyes are heading in.
The clean choruses continue to win the battle on the uplifting “Find” and “Everything,” with the latter being arguably the strongest track on the record. An optimistic performance layered with atmospheric guitars and mellow drumming, “Everything” is easily the biggest standout on the record, with Moore’s vocals towering when the drums lift him to his zenith.
While the first half of the record is more upbeat than destructive, that is not to say that Before Their Eyes don’t let rip from time to time. Ex-guitarist and now vocalist of The Plot In You Landon Tewers lends his roars on “Revival,” resulting in arguably the heaviest track in all of Before Their Eyes’ discography. The breakdown-laden “Backstabber” also packs a punch, while the penultimate “Faith” best employs the skills of new guitarists Jordan DiSorbo and Brandon Rosiar, as their fret knowledge sets the pace.
As the record ends with the buoyant “Alive,” it’s clear that Before Their Eyes aren’t ready to stop fighting yet. Redemption is, in short, an inordinate mesh of their three previous efforts, allowing them to hone in on their mix of catchy choruses and destructive screams. Will it bring in many new fans looking for a change in scenery or originality? Not necessarily, for while Redemption is enjoyable for what it is, it’s nothing new. Nonetheless, fans of the band’s preceding work will enjoy it for what it is: a continuation of Before Their Eyes familiar sound on their best effort to date.
This is one of the few instances where saying something like "what it is: a continuation of Before Their Eyes familiar sound," seems sort of strange.
Though there is some similarities that stick throughout any band's progression, thinking about the previous 3 records as a whole together doesn't give me any sense of sameness of continuation of a musical trend. Going from "The Nighttime is Our Time," to "The Me I Used to Be," to "Hell or High Water (my favorite from each album, I'd say)", it's something of a noticeable difference, and not a very minor one.
Again, every band has a style that's there in some way or another from start to finish, but when you say it's got the "Before Their Eyes sound," I gain nothing from the statement, as they've produced such a wide range of songs, in terms of heavy/soft, cleans-only/with-screaming, and such.
This is one of the few instances where saying something like "what it is: a continuation of Before Their Eyes familiar sound," seems sort of strange.
Though there is some similarities that stick throughout any band's progression, thinking about the previous 3 records as a whole together doesn't give me any sense of sameness of continuation of a musical trend. Going from "The Nighttime is Our Time," to "The Me I Used to Be," to "Hell or High Water (my favorite from each album, I'd say)", it's something of a noticeable difference, and not a very minor one.
Again, every band has a style that's there in some way or another from start to finish, but when you say it's got the "Before Their Eyes sound," I gain nothing from the statement, as they've produced such a wide range of songs, in terms of heavy/soft, cleans-only/with-screaming, and such.
Agreed for the most part, but I think BTE have stayed in the wheelhouse in all of their albums. I can't speak for this one, since I haven't listened to it yet, but their debut was a bit heavier than their other material (and more charming for what it's worth). Honestly, I couldn't get into Untouchable at all. It just didn't stick with me, nor did The Dawn of My Death, which sounded too forced. However, all three albums seemed to follow a certain trend.
This album is A LOT heavier than 'Untouchable'. Yes, the choruses are extremely cathcy, but have been on all their albums. I agree mostly with this review, having listened to the album heavily recently, I can say they generally stayed in the same genre and direction as they are known for. But in my opinion, I believe they are the best at what they do and can continue to get better if they stay away from songs such as 'Sing to Me' and 'Love is Misery'. Great job guys.
We just do an average score system now - so every category got a 6
Speaking of that, a couple of questions:
--When's this "new site" supposed to be launched?
--Is there going to be a change in the way review scores are set up? I know you guys don't use the 1-10 scale for each category like you said, but user reviews still do, don't they? I'm just curious.
--When's this "new site" supposed to be launched?
--Is there going to be a change in the way review scores are set up? I know you guys don't use the 1-10 scale for each category like you said, but user reviews still do, don't they? I'm just curious.
We are unsure as to when it will be launched.
As to the second question, I believe it will just be a numerical score (ie: 6/10) overall - pretty sure we are eliminating the categories
Giving this my first listen now; I've been really excited for this album for a while. Great review; it's got me excited. I fell in love with this band for a reason. Nothing wrong at all with more of the same. If I wanted a different sound, I'd listen to a different band.
Just taking a quick listen, dream sounded like an interesting track so I started with that. I am always rather surprised with Before Their Eyes. They can write a pretty catchy song. As someone who only spun Untouchable before, I felt I had a hard time recommending them to anyone I knew. I couldn't recommend them to someone who liked pop due to the breakdowns in some of their songs. This sounds like an overall, more solid effort. I'm all for band evolution and variety but Untouchable was almost bipolar. I look forward to giving this new album a few listens to see if it'll stick moreso than the few songs I could get into on their previous one.
I don't see any similarites to "Throne to the Wolves." No matter what anyone says, that is one of my favorite albums...and this is coming from a guy who usually doesn't like those type bands (top favorite bands right now are A Hope For Home, Gates, Into It. Over It. and Defeater)
I don't see any similarites to "Throne to the Wolves." No matter what anyone says, that is one of my favorite albums...and this is coming from a guy who usually doesn't like those type bands (top favorite bands right now are A Hope For Home, Gates, Into It. Over It. and Defeater)
IiOi and Defeater are awesome.
Album is pretty good. The screams are awesome but some of the chorus's are interesting to say the least. Immediately as I heard Backstabber's chorus I felt embarrassed for the track. Don't want to sound coy or a hipster snob prick but it was cringe worthy. Landon's portion of Revival was cool to hear as well. I also agree with the Breathe Carolina part...
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