Review Summary: Now you're coming home... with a magnum opus.
Escape the Fate has always been polarizing in the rock realm. Until the past few years, infighting and drama brought forth a giant load of negative press. Musically, they haven’t always been consistent - just look at
Hate Me for evidence supporting that. Things have calmed down for the band, which may be a reason why
I Am Human was overlooked in the mainstream despite easily being their best release since this self-titled epic. Albeit imperfect, this is likely the most satisfactory album they will ever have their name on.
Most of the writing on
Escape the Fate paints an image of darkness. Sentiments of despair are common, such as in “Massacre” where singer Craig Mabbitt bemoans his past addictions. “Lost In Darkness” exposes a story about one of his friends who was dragged out of her home and sexually assaulted, “World Around Me” shows a broader view about relationships and existence as a whole, and the magnificent closer “The Aftermath (G3),” details the military experience of his father while relating it to other soldiers in battle, waiting to come home and see their families again. In contrast to some other acts in the “alt” scene, Craig chose to write in a more direct format rather than veiling his messages with a dozen coats of symbolism. While it can be more intellectually stimulating to listen to a song that takes eight bars to depict what Craig does in one bar, it doesn’t always add much. Aside from rather dull lines such as “Come on come on! Shake your money maker! / Take, take your time, do it right tonight,” this album uses its simplicity to its advantage. In some instances, the emotional weight of the songs potentially wouldn’t have been as heavy, had Mabbitt instead applied a more pretentious system of lyricism.
Sonically, this band has never sounded better. While the production on their most recent is among their best, further proving Howard Benson’s prowess, the music here still exceeds it in many respects. The four tracks after “Day of Wreckoning” are a force to be reckoned with and shall be held over the band’s head until they outdo themselves. Lost In Darkness features Craig’s lowest vocal notes, Prepare Your Weapon is arguably the second-most “metal” number to be found here, World Around Me is an infectiously emotional power ballad (not to mention, my favorite cut of their material as a whole) and The Aftermath is the most powerful closer in their career thus far.
Mabbitt and co. promised a diverse release, and despite the dismal average, they delivered on that promise. Escape the Fate have since tapped deeper into their pop sensibilities, and while I still enjoy that, a fresher mixture of this album’s writing format and their current sound could potentially propel them back into the spotlight, not for the drama, but instead for the
music. While this hasn’t pleased everyone, it damn sure has pleased me.
