Review Summary: Whether you jam it is a guilty pleasure or spin the whole thing regularly, you will at least find a little enjoyment in Before Their Eyes.
In music, simplicity is truly a double-edged sword. Many bands, namely Nickelback, abuse the privilege of being a simple band that doesn’t do too much musically by creating slacker, sound-alike rock songs that literally bleed into eachother. However, simplicity can also be a beautiful thing, as some bands are aware of how to properly utilize it and make it enjoyable. On their self-titled release, BTE crafted simple post-hardcore, but heck is it an enjoyable ride.
Yes, this 2007 debut came out on Rise Records, and yes, it’s not anything “special”. You won’t find any complex song structures or terribly thought-provoking lyrics, but you will find more than the expected average. Vocalist Nick Moore alternates between high-pitched cleans that still manage to carry a unique tone and dark, deep death growls that are able to shake the listener. At times, the sudden transitions between higher cleans and deep growls can be jarring, but ultimately aren’t too much of a problem. As for the rest of the band, both guitarists are major highlights. Former rhythm guitarist Cory Ridenour leads the charge with fun, fast-paced riffs on songs like “City In A Snowglobe” and “Close Your Eyes (It’s Ok To Rest Now”), while former lead guitarist Brenden Zapp crafts some nice solos and leads, namely throughout “The Nighttime Is Our Time” and “Crawling Towards Forgiveness”. Drummer Jarrett Hottman carries the fast-paced, punky “You Talk A Good Game”, a radio-friendly song that also features fun acoustic guitar parts and a jittery synthesizer. Admittedly, the bassist doesn’t really have a standout moment, and is sadly content to just be support for Jarrett.
Genre-wise, the album is not unlike something you would see from ADTR. There’s straight-up heavy stuff, radio-friendly tracks with a slight edge, and songs that meet somewhere in the middle. “Crawling Towards Forgiveness”, “The Journey Down South (Starts With A Two-Step)”, and “Close Your Eyes” find the band at their heaviest, as these tracks are primarily reliant upon bruising screams and crunching riffs. All three are fantastic songs that more than meet the chops of more known bands in the genre like A Day To Remember. On the slower side, pop-punk rocker “Why 6 Is Afraid of 7” remains one of the band’s best tracks to date, and carries the classic sound that BTE used to be known for, as well as dueling riffs that are just plain fun. Speaking of classic, you’d be hard-pressed to find a BTE fan that doesn’t adore the bruising, fast-paced, just-barely-three-minutes “City In A Snowglobe”, a song that has become both Before Their Eyes’ calling card and a live staple. “This Is Redemption, This Is Our Lives Washed Clean” is an electronica-influenced yet strangely organic and touching ballad that is a nice break sonically from the rest of this fast-burning album, while “Shotguns Speak Louder Than Words” is carried by both a heroic, melodic chorus and some extremely proficient drumming.
With the exception of the bassist, every member of BTE was extremely proficient and talented, and as BTE’s lineup went through multiple iterations, this remains their strongest. Truly, the only thing to complain about is the length, as the record is just over thirty minutes and truly leaves the listener wanting much more. One could argue that this album isn’t wholly original, but that same one would have to acknowledge that this record is a nice slab of post-hardcore that gets more right than wrong.
Lyrically, the record feels personal. At no point does the band veer into party lyrics or attempts to woo a hot girl, instead sticking for subjects like holding onto hope through trials (“This Is Redemption”, “Why Is 6 Afraid Of 7”), tearing down liars (“Crawling Towards Forgiveness”, “The Journey Down South”), and forgiveness for past mistakes (“City In A Snowglobe”). No, you won’t find lyrics to the clever caliber of Project 86, but you will find some decently well-written lyrics that again could be compared to the likes of a band like ADTR.
Throughout the record, it’d be hard-pressed to be disappointed, mainly because this album is just too fun to hate. Whether you jam it is a guilty pleasure or spin the whole thing regularly, you will at least find a little enjoyment in
Before Their Eyes.
