Review Summary: We won't probably remember Aiden in the next year anymore. This EP shows exactly why. They are the biggest rip off I have seen in my entire life. They're not even a Misfits cover band anymore, they're an AFI, MATCHBOOK ROMANCE cover band. Sickingly.
Rain in Hell is the new EP/DVD released on October 31, 2006 (Halloween) by the Emo/Post hardcore band Aiden. It includes new tracks as well as a cover of The Misfits' "Die Die My Darling" and Billy Idol's "White Wedding". The DVD features live perfomances and music videos.
Track Listing
1. A Candle Light (Intro)
2. The Suffering
3. We Sleep Forever
4. White Wedding (Billy Idol Cover)
5. Die Die My Darling (The Misfits Cover)
6. Silent Eyes
DVD Listing
(DVD) Live Set From Never Sleep Again Tour in Chicago’s House Of Blues
(DVD) Knife Blood Nightmare (Video)
(DVD) Die Romantic (Video)
(DVD) Last Sunrise (Video)
(DVD) Extra Bonus Hometown Performances
Aiden are
Wil Francis (vocals)
Jake Wambold (guitar)
Jake Davison (drums)
Nick Wiggins (bass)
Angel Ibarra (guitar)
The Rain in Hell EP opens with
A Candlelight Intro which has really strong, and by strong I mean rip off, influences off AFI's "Miseria Cantare". It has also a darkish beginning, with rain and lightning noises at the beginning and has a dark dragging sound and also goes into a main part that reminds me very strong of Miseria. Couldn't they have made it MORE obvious? Jeez. Well, it's not that bad of an opener, but it's just depressing obvious who they are trying to copy. Anyway, the intro goes straight into the next track which opens with a Bang.
The Suffering is a track that has promise in my opinion, especially at the beginning. It begins with some chants ("Burn..your...friends!") and then some really well sung verses. They have a very good drive assited by some fast drums and pretty cool bassline in the background which gave the song a cool, fast feeling. But when I heard the refrain I thought "Why?". It doesn't fit with the rest AT ALL. It's a typical pop punk refrain with their leadsinger moaning like a crying mess. I really think that this track had potential with the group chants that really gave a track a good outline but the chorus almost destroyed everything. Good concept, but a bad execution at the end.
You know "A box full of sharp objects" by the Used.
We Sleep Forever has the EXACT same sound at the beginning in my opinion. The song turns quickly into the typical Aiden mess, a dangerous mix between AFI, The Used, My Chemical Romance and.. the Misfits. Well, dangerous but not in a positive way. More in a "heard ten thousand times before in any other teeny pop punk song" way. Honestly, at least AFI tried to create a new sound with SOME Misfits influences. Aiden COMPLETELY rip them off.
White Wedding, originally by New Wave/Punk icon Billy Idol, lacks the badass vocals from the original, but has thankfully at least the groove that made this song awesome. There is not much more to say, it's pretty much the original with new and improved (o_O ??) teeny pop sound.
Die, Die My Darling, originally a Misfits classic, starts with original bassline and rather calm vocal execution for the song. It picks up rapidly at the main chorus, which of course is catchy as hell, but the whole track is almost completely different from the original. It's not a bad thing though. Originally the Misfits powered throughout the song with some furious anger, now Aiden rather builds up the chorus where they finally explode after lower pitched verses, which a nice thought afterall.
Of course the vocals can't be as good as the original (OBVIOUSLY), but it's really not that bad of a cover, and I have to say they did rather well.But, isn't it rather depressing for a band when their only good songs are covers? I think so.
Silent Eyes ends this EP mercifully with a ballad that sounds absolute uninspired and awful. I wonder who their main influence to do this one was here (Dashboar.. *coughs*).
The DVD features some bad live performances and their music videos. They could have really left that DVD out, because it doesn't really make up for the mess up they left in the EP.
Pro
+ Aiden is a great cover band
Contra
- ridiculous mass rip off of other "Horror" Punk bands
- vocals have no power at all sometimes
- the parts in their self written songs have no real connection within at all
Highlights
~ The Suffering
~ Die Die My Darling
Summary
Avoid this thing like the plaque. Aiden has turned into a glorified Misfits, or better yet, AFI and Matchbook Romance type cover band. The "influences" (better, yet complete rip offs), are so sickingly obvious that it creates ear cancer when you listen to it. The DVD is garbage as well, so unless you are a very big Aiden, which I hope doesn't fit for you, then please avoid it. Aiden fans might get a kick out of it, but I highly doubt it honestly.
