As Cities Burn - Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest

circus_brimstone

Forest: Sold Out
Jul 5, 2003
5,154
13
38
41
Indiana
As Cities Burn – Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest
Solid State Records – TND75471 – June 21st, 2005
By Jason Jordan

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I think I’ve written it before: Solid State Records ain’t what it used to be. And that’s 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 don’t let the emotional tendencies of Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest frighten you; it’s 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 it’s true that some of As Cities Burn’s vocals (performed by the brothers Bonnette) run parallel to that of John K. Samson’s (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, they’re 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 I’ve listened to.

There’s 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 there’s a dichotomy in place, the whole works very well, and the subsequent result is just plain pleasurable. Still, I can’t fathom the diversity of the concert attendees that this group will incur.

8/10

Official As Cities Burn Website
Official Solid State Records Website