As Cities Burn Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest
Solid State Records TND75471 June 21st, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I think Ive written it before: Solid State Records aint what it used to be. And thats for sure. Gone are the days when pure metal acts unleashed album after album on the aforementioned label. At present, Solid State are proponents of screamo, mainly, with slight emphasis on hardcore entities such as Norma Jean and The Chariot. As Cities Burn distinctly fits into the former category, but dont let the emotional tendencies of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest frighten you; its just bursting at the seams with emotive renderings, quality vocals, and conspicuous self-assurance.
For us open-minded metalheads, experiencing the lighter side of the spectrum can be positive. While its true that some of As Cities Burns vocals (performed by the brothers Bonnette) run parallel to that of John K. Samsons (The Weakerthans, ex-Propaghandi), the screaming is just as professional. The most emo moment is undeniably located within The Widow, which takes a Death Cab for Cutie-esque turn, and tunes like Thus from My Lips, by Yours, My Sin is Purged, Bloodsucker Pt. II, and One: Twentyseven have the high-pitch vox popping in from time to time. But, in my mind, theyre simply arresting, well-written songs. Another notable attribute, of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest, is that it was co-produced by Matt Goldman and Josh Scogin (The Chariot, ex-Norma Jean); the duo did an excellent job I might add. However, the disc is too brief and clocks in at only thirty-seven minutes total. Furthermore, to assert that As Cities Burn are weaving around in a subgenre full of staggering originality would be a lie. But, the five-piece are one of the more zesty outfits Ive listened to.
Theres hardly any trace of an epic attempt at bridging the feuding subgenres of emo and metal, but Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest is most likely the best exemplification of that nearly-oxymoronic marriage. Even though theres a dichotomy in place, the whole works very well, and the subsequent result is just plain pleasurable. Still, I cant fathom the diversity of the concert attendees that this group will incur.
8/10
Official As Cities Burn Website
Official Solid State Records Website
Solid State Records TND75471 June 21st, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I think Ive written it before: Solid State Records aint what it used to be. And thats for sure. Gone are the days when pure metal acts unleashed album after album on the aforementioned label. At present, Solid State are proponents of screamo, mainly, with slight emphasis on hardcore entities such as Norma Jean and The Chariot. As Cities Burn distinctly fits into the former category, but dont let the emotional tendencies of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest frighten you; its just bursting at the seams with emotive renderings, quality vocals, and conspicuous self-assurance.
For us open-minded metalheads, experiencing the lighter side of the spectrum can be positive. While its true that some of As Cities Burns vocals (performed by the brothers Bonnette) run parallel to that of John K. Samsons (The Weakerthans, ex-Propaghandi), the screaming is just as professional. The most emo moment is undeniably located within The Widow, which takes a Death Cab for Cutie-esque turn, and tunes like Thus from My Lips, by Yours, My Sin is Purged, Bloodsucker Pt. II, and One: Twentyseven have the high-pitch vox popping in from time to time. But, in my mind, theyre simply arresting, well-written songs. Another notable attribute, of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest, is that it was co-produced by Matt Goldman and Josh Scogin (The Chariot, ex-Norma Jean); the duo did an excellent job I might add. However, the disc is too brief and clocks in at only thirty-seven minutes total. Furthermore, to assert that As Cities Burn are weaving around in a subgenre full of staggering originality would be a lie. But, the five-piece are one of the more zesty outfits Ive listened to.
Theres hardly any trace of an epic attempt at bridging the feuding subgenres of emo and metal, but Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest is most likely the best exemplification of that nearly-oxymoronic marriage. Even though theres a dichotomy in place, the whole works very well, and the subsequent result is just plain pleasurable. Still, I cant fathom the diversity of the concert attendees that this group will incur.
8/10
Official As Cities Burn Website
Official Solid State Records Website
