- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
- 2
- 38
Hourcast - State Of Disgrace
Alkamedia Records - ALK CDC0601 - June 20, 2006
By Brandon Strader
Hourcast's latest, State of Disgrace, is really awesome. It's a bit difficult to put a label on this album; it's got some screams and forceful vocals, yet they aren't used that often and the majority of vocals are quite clean and melodic. The guitar work is very heavy and powerful amongst the percussion performance, yet the riffs and percussion aren't overly technical in a way you would expect from metal. The songs go through somewhat of a verse / catchy chorus formation yet the songwriting is surprisingly tight. At times they seem like a goth rock/metal band, and at others they totter dangerously close to nu-metal, yet they are able to keep a consistent amount of songwriting prowess and excitement throughout the album.
"This Life" starts with a piano performance covered with an echo effect that really sounds beautiful, and is soon accompanied by electronic bloops and percussion, and soon after, heavy guitars. The song really trashes hard leading up to the first verse and they use more electronic elements in a more melodic way than before. When the actual verse finally begins, the heavy guitars drop and the vocalist enters amongst the percussion, bass, and an atmospheric piano arrangement that really sounds neat in a sort of Katatonia-Viva Emptiness-type way. "Freeze" was the single from the album that they shot a video for which should be circulating around MTV as we speak, yet this shouldn't imply that it is a grotesquely catchy radio-type song. A clean guitar is accompanied by the vocalist singing through a phone-type effect which eventually leads to the chorus, which features a somewhat cliche chord progression, yet is pretty awesome anyway. There's a nice solo and some more screamy vocals featured in the song that really makes it good. Also the brooding arrangement that flows smoothly between clean and distorted is very well done and really gives the song a doomy kind of feel.
"God Failed" would, of course, be a glimpse into the more ferocious side of Hourcast. The guitar rhythm is chaotic linking between the verse and chorus, and it really sounds massive. Electronic beeps in the right speaker add a bit to the chaos, which soon falters when the verse enters. During the verse, the vocals are smothered with reverb, and there are subtle synthesized sounds bleeping and blooping around until the chorus finally peeks out its head. The chorus has a clean guitar overlapping the heavy rhythm, and more synthesizer which - as a whole - sounds really pleasing. "Almost Like Life" has great square wave performances from the first heavy sections, to the later mellow sections, and the song is very uplifting! Each song has its own style and mood which makes them all worth listening to, and you can hear the influences from other bands encased very, very deep within the arrangements. With the length of 53 minutes and the consistent quality throughout, State of Disgrace is really worth checking out.
8/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Hourcast Website
Official Alkamedia Records Website
Alkamedia Records - ALK CDC0601 - June 20, 2006
By Brandon Strader
Hourcast's latest, State of Disgrace, is really awesome. It's a bit difficult to put a label on this album; it's got some screams and forceful vocals, yet they aren't used that often and the majority of vocals are quite clean and melodic. The guitar work is very heavy and powerful amongst the percussion performance, yet the riffs and percussion aren't overly technical in a way you would expect from metal. The songs go through somewhat of a verse / catchy chorus formation yet the songwriting is surprisingly tight. At times they seem like a goth rock/metal band, and at others they totter dangerously close to nu-metal, yet they are able to keep a consistent amount of songwriting prowess and excitement throughout the album.
"This Life" starts with a piano performance covered with an echo effect that really sounds beautiful, and is soon accompanied by electronic bloops and percussion, and soon after, heavy guitars. The song really trashes hard leading up to the first verse and they use more electronic elements in a more melodic way than before. When the actual verse finally begins, the heavy guitars drop and the vocalist enters amongst the percussion, bass, and an atmospheric piano arrangement that really sounds neat in a sort of Katatonia-Viva Emptiness-type way. "Freeze" was the single from the album that they shot a video for which should be circulating around MTV as we speak, yet this shouldn't imply that it is a grotesquely catchy radio-type song. A clean guitar is accompanied by the vocalist singing through a phone-type effect which eventually leads to the chorus, which features a somewhat cliche chord progression, yet is pretty awesome anyway. There's a nice solo and some more screamy vocals featured in the song that really makes it good. Also the brooding arrangement that flows smoothly between clean and distorted is very well done and really gives the song a doomy kind of feel.
"God Failed" would, of course, be a glimpse into the more ferocious side of Hourcast. The guitar rhythm is chaotic linking between the verse and chorus, and it really sounds massive. Electronic beeps in the right speaker add a bit to the chaos, which soon falters when the verse enters. During the verse, the vocals are smothered with reverb, and there are subtle synthesized sounds bleeping and blooping around until the chorus finally peeks out its head. The chorus has a clean guitar overlapping the heavy rhythm, and more synthesizer which - as a whole - sounds really pleasing. "Almost Like Life" has great square wave performances from the first heavy sections, to the later mellow sections, and the song is very uplifting! Each song has its own style and mood which makes them all worth listening to, and you can hear the influences from other bands encased very, very deep within the arrangements. With the length of 53 minutes and the consistent quality throughout, State of Disgrace is really worth checking out.
8/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Hourcast Website
Official Alkamedia Records Website
