Review Summary: A marked improvement with an engaging sound. Dead By April at their finest.
Since I got negged, and no one will ever read/give a shit about this review, I will randomly change my rating of the album to 4.5. Why? There are reasons for this.
Since Attack Attack’s Someday Came Suddenly (a classic piece of metalcore) pop in metalcore generally has not worked well. It doesn’t mix. It doesn’t work, usually, because the two genres are so different. Dead By April mixes the two seamlessly. That isn’t easy — it’s brilliant. Every song is catchier than the last, the vibes feel good, the mix is great, the screams blister, the singing rules, and the album is extremely listenable.
Fun music is here and good times are here. Heartfelt lyrics are also here, and sung so clearly as to be beautiful. Name a metalcore band with tear-jerking lyrics right now - I’ll wait. Okay, there are none, but this band gets the lyrics right too. Apparently they do everything right in this album. Mainstream sounding? Absolutely. Nonetheless a brutal, yet synth-y/dance-y kick to the face? Yes, that too. Enjoy you whiners.