Review Summary: Is this a contender for the album of the year?? Short answer: yes.
Consistency is a funny thing, it is something that every band strives for, and yet only a few accomplish. It can also come from the most unlikely of sources, which is where experimental post hardcore outfit The Out_Circuit come in. Filled with a vast myriad of sounds, ranging from distorted synths and raging guitar riffs played over blistering drum beats, to ambient guitar driven tracks with barely a hint of drums, “Pierce the Empire with a Sound” is jam packed with scintillating music that will take hold of you and pull you along one of the most exhilarating rides you will have this year. Amazingly the boys from New York have somehow stumbled across the formula that so many other bands out there would kill for, and in doing so have produced one of the best albums of the year, recruiting such talents as Sean Ingram (of Coalesce fame), Dustin Kensrue and fellow Thrice member Teppei Teranishi (who produces the album).
The band, rather oddly, consists of two drummers and two vocalists; one of whom, Nathan Burke (the ex member of Frodus), also contributes the guitar and keyboards. This makes for a very unique sound and the diversity of the tracks on offer mean that there is something for everyone here. “Come Out Shooting” is powerful opening track, slow, yet brilliantly effective. The distorted, aggressive vocals provided by guest vocalist Sean Ingram are complimented startlingly well by an extremely raw guitar riff and some wonderful, clean backing vocals. This all makes for a gripping album opener, which like most of the album, is a lot more powerful and effective than the initial ambiance suggests. Another track that demonstrates this well is the marvelous “Lost Pilot”, the atmospheric intro setting the scene for a seriously haunting track that is one of the album highlights.
The album isn’t all ambiance however, and the aggressive vocals from “Come Out Shooting” make a comeback in much better fashion in “The Fall of Las Vegas”, a brilliant track that is reminiscent of the ‘Fire’ EP in Thrice’s Alchemy Index. The vocals are complimented by the aggressive music style, with a powerful driving drum beat with clever synths overlapping to form an interesting intro before the brutal vocals from Ingram explode into the fray, with Burke once again providing his more subdued lyrics in the chorus. On the subject of Thrice, Kensrue himself adds backing vocals to “The Contender” which, although being a good song disappoints, ending prematurely and sandwiched between better songs.
The expert musicianship shown in each of the ten tracks works brilliantly, and each member of the band works together with the others, with even the guest musicians integrating admirably. The drumming and guitar work is solid throughout and Burke’s softly-softly vocal approach is only let down by its sameness, a fault which has been masked expertly by the guest vocalists, making it almost unnoticeable anyway. Lyrically this album is as strong as anything else released this year, with intelligent observational lyrics strengthening the overall effect of the album. The religious lyrics in “New Wine” (In an interview, Burke admitted that this song was about the last supper) are subtle at first, but distinctly obvious when examined closer “I raise the cup and realize that yours is the blood on the door”, which seems to be a recurring theme on the album.
Although The Out_Circuit take a much more instrumental and experimental ‘stretching the boundaries’ approach to the post-hardcore genre, the comparisons with Thrice are justified throughout the album as there are many subtle similarities. If you consider yourself a fan of the genre, and especially if you are a fan of Thrice, you need to listen to this album as it is fantastic, and only a hairs width away from being a masterpiece.
Overall 4.5 Superb
Standout Tracks
Come Out Shooting
Across The Light
The Fall of Las Vegas
Lost Pilot
New Wine
