CD: Gutter Phenomenon
Artist: Every Time I Die
Release Date: 08/23/05
Label: Ferret Records
Genre: Metal/Hardcore/Southern Rock
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Every Time I Die's "Gutter Phenomenon" was one of the most anticipated hardcore releases of 2005. While holding its own in the hardcore genre, it doesn't quite live up to the hype that it had been given. First, an instrumental and vocal review of the CD...
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Vocals: Keith Buckley is a good vocalist, there's no doubt about that. It basically boils down to two things. One is whether you like screaming in your music all the time. If you do, you'll like this CD. Secondly, sometimes Keith's voice doesn't fit along with the music, which causes problems. There are also some guest vocals from Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) and Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw), which I'll get to in the track-by-track review.
Guitars: The first thing I noticed about the guitars on this CD was that the riffs seemed too similar. I realized the lead guitars made the guitars sound a little different, but most of the rhythm guitars sound the same. Not a bad performance by Andrew Williams and Jordan Buckley.
Bass: Wow, what a disappointment. Chris Byrnes was so impressive with BtBaM. Maybe its that Every Time I Die's music doesn't incorporate the bass as much as BtBaM does, but they need to. They have an extremely talented bassist in Byrnes.
Drums: Alot of the drumming on this CD surprised me. It's actually executed very well. You hear Mike Novak performing double-bass with perfect precision. When I heard the cowbell, I was surprised, but it was good to hear something different in hardcore music.
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Ok, so now a track-by-track review of the CD...
1. APOCALYPSE NOW AND THEN *3 out of 5*
It's okay for a CD opener, but its not the best that I've heard. The vocals blast in within the first few seconds, and they sound good. The guitars are only okay compared to alot of the other stuff. Drums sound pretty good too. But overall, a decent song.
2. KILL THE MUSIC *5 out of 5*
Gerard Way performs guest vocals on this song, and its the best I've ever heard out of him. His voice seems to fit here more than with his own band, My Chemical Romance. Keith also performs his vocals well on this song, especially with his screams of "I KNOW THE STRIPPER'S REAL NAME!" at the end of the song. The guitars are near a high point here as well. Best song on the CD, hands down.
3. BORED STIFF *2 out of 5*
Really not that good of a song. The vocals are all out of place. The only thing that really saves this from a rating of a one is the drumming and the well placed lyrics of "HEY THERE, GIRLS, I'M A CUNT!", which I thought was pretty funny.
4. EASY TIGER *4 out of 5*
Very good vocals on this song. The drumming sounds great as well. The lead guitar shines at some point. I still can't hear any bass behind everything else. Overall, a pretty good song.
5. TUSK AND TEMPER *4 out of 5*
Opening to the song is fast and blistering. The guitars sound the same as a good amount of songs I've heard by these guys. The drums are amazing on this song. The most noticable part of the drumming is the cowbell that Novak adds in, which completely throws you off. Vocals sound pretty good on this song too.
6. THE NEW BLACK *3 out of 5*
This is basically Keith's song. It focuses on vocals more than anything else. The guitars are, once again, repetitive. The drums aren't even anything too stellar here, other than the cowbell being thrown in. The vocals really are quite good though, which saves them from a worse rating.
7. CHAMPING AT THE BIT *4 out of 5*
Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw is featured on this song. They're another good example of guest vocals. The guitars are also better on this song, a little less repetitive. The drums still aren't the best on this song. Keith's vocals sound pretty good too.
8. GLOOM AND HOW IT GETS THAT WAY *3 out of 5*
Real short song, not even two minutes. The vocals are a little bit out of place, but overall aren't too bad. The guitars are okay too, nothing impressive. I can hear little bass in this song, but it's nothing that blows my mind away. Drums are still real good. Screams at the end are real good. "THE KING IS DEAD!"
9. GUITARRED AND FEATHERED *5 out of 5*
The first song I heard off of this CD. Everything goes together well in this song. Also, its longer than all the rest of the songs on the CD, which I think had a hand in making it better. The drums are pretty impressive on this song as well. Up there with "Kill The Music" as one of the better songs on the CD.
10. L'ASTRONAUT *2 out of 5*
Things seem a little out of place in this song. The sound changes around too much. Sometimes the vocals don't fit well in the music. The drums still sound good on this song. Otherwise, its just not that good of a song.
11. PRETTY DIRTY *4 out of 5*
Another good song. The guitars sound better than any other song on the CD. Great performance from beginning to end there. The drums are still impressive. Its not the best you've heard the vocals, but it still passes as pretty good. Not a bad closing to the CD.
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While "Gutter Phenomenon" is a good CD, it doesn't match up to their previous efforts on "Hot Damn!" where everything sounded amazing on almost every song. The guitarists are doing things I've heard before from this band many times. Novak still impresses me as a drummer and more focus should go to him. And the bass should be included heavily on the next CD.
OVERALL: *3.5 out of 5*
