The Story Changes - The Way of the Dinosaur
Record Label: Future Destination Records
Release Date: October 16, 2007
The three piece band from Dayton, Ohio – home to other notable bands such as Hawthorne Heights and Dead Poetic – have created an album that is driving, fast paced, raw, and above all, completely like many other bands in the scene. As I listened, there were enjoyable moments spread throughout, but as an album nothing just screamed out that this band was going to set them apart from the pack.
As The Way of the Dinosaur begins, the two highlight tracks of the album, “Needle,” with distorted guitars, fast picking, and raw vocals and “Don’t Fall,” the sing-a-long waiting to happen, show pop-rock at its finest. The fourth song, “Truth,” starts with a strong intro, but then like many songs on this album, seemingly falls into the same formula as the first two songs, coming off as generic and rehashed. With “Your Own Design” being the only song on the entire album breaking free from this formula, it comes as a much needed breath of new air later on in the album with a killer chorus.
However, where the band falters musically, vocalist Mark McMillon really carries the album with a voice that’s appealing and adds a new characteristic to the music that surrounds it (much like Anthony Raneri does in Bayside), and the lyrics are refreshing and up-beat, in the scene where depression and loathing is the hot topic (pun intended).
All in all, The Story Changes have produced a raw, upbeat, pop-rock album that showcases the band, yet also shows just how saturated the scene is right now with bands like this, with just how familiar it is. Bits and pieces of songs remind you of other bands, while other parts are definitely their own. The listen is fun while it lasts, but the hooks didn’t magnify themselves into my head and set themselves apart like Anberlin, Mute Math, and others have done within their respective genre.
The Story Changes don't even have a full band. They haven't had a bass player for a while now. It's just Mark and Poppy (drummer). They've always had great potential, they just can't quite make it happen. They need more of a musical presence... like a guitar player.
A good band to see live! Great guys too. Whenever they would play in my town, Mark would shoot me a message on myspace asking me to go. That was very cool to me.
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