Review Summary: Generic chugging and relentless speed mixed in with amazing vocal delivery never sounded so good
Dun da da dun dun da dun da da dun.
Yes that's the sound you hear when the majority of Metalcore bands release a CD. Your immediate reaction to this is a sigh, or a groan and a cry to the heavens "Why can't there be one CD that uses the same system as everyone else, but does it in a way that feels refreshing, and fun?!" Well that time is now. Greeley Estates' latest CD is a move down that path. Most people will feel this move seems unnecessary or unpleasant and uninspired. But in this case, generic and same-y seem's to be exactly what Greeley was going for. With their knack for writing dark and heavy tracks it seem's that they have the tools to write a truly good piece of music. But lack the experience in the genre to write a truly masterful and well executed Metalcore CD
No Rain, No Rainbow's flaws are hidden surprisingly well. With immaculate production, and damn near delicious vocal delivery by Ryan Zimmerman. Guest spots galore (oddly enough coming directly from the likes of BlessTheFall / Ex-BlessTheFall exclusively ) and some very well placed, and atmospherically heavy electronic sounds. All of this piled on very aggressive sounding vocal layering, used to give an oppressive and dark element that Greeley Estates has been very effective at since their Debut. And ofcourse, more energy than any emotionally unstable 15 year old boy can handle. The point is, the musical talent may be a tad sub-par, almost boring with just constant Machine gun double-kicks, and Open ended Chug-a-Lug breakdowns. But what it lacks in true diversity and uniqueness, is made up for, in leaps and bounds, with Energy, and Power. It's Intoxicating, Infectious. It's Fun.
Most songs follow a pretty simple structure, Crushing intro, breakdown, verse, chorus, verse, breakdown, etc. Some songs, such as "Jealousy Breeds Killing Spree's" take a step out of that pattern and drive through verses at break-neck speeds and break the whole song down quite cleanly, Which is all fine and dandy, but it almost feels awkward when executed by Greeley. Songs where the verse chorus breakdown is worked in very effectively are songs such as "You'll Never Leave Vegas Alive" and "Friends are Friends for Never" Both songs being stand-out tracks on this CD
While most tracks are being driven quite competently vocally, special mention needs to be thrown at the rest of Greeley Estates. The guitarists bring down some very hard hitting passages, some very generic open ended chugging, and even a few nice little licks here and there. The problem lies within variety. or the lack-there-of. With only random moments of genius thrown on top of the repetitive chugging. The same can be said about the drumming. The drumming keeps the song at it's relentless pace and brings a crushing low end to the guitar which is complimentary and good, but lacks the over all variety that plagues the guitarists. The same of course can be said about the bass..Woah, hold on. Bass? yes that's right, although the bass is a tad uninspired and bland. Greeley Estates shows that they do in fact have a bassist, and in some songs, such as "They Won't Stay Dead" they even utilize him quite effectively. To bring a fascinating and powerful extension of sound to the intro.
Overall No Rain, No Rainbow is a fast-paced, Metalcore CD from a Post-Hardcore band. They went in a little too deep, a little too fast. But they pulled some gems out of the water while they were there. It was a good effort, with some flaws that fall almost entirely on structure and the simple fact of being overly Generic..Which seems to be a malady for most Metalcore Now adays. But it's a damn fun album that will keep your head, or feet moving all the way through.
Recommended Tracks:
You'll Never Leave Vegas Alive
Friends Are Friends For Never
Seven Hours
They Won't Stay Dead
