Review Summary: The Color Morale prove to be a band soaking with potential in a dry genre.
Illinois Post-Hardcore band The Color Morale turned many heads with their original release “We All Have Demons” in 2009. That being said, those who were enticed by their vibrant and soulful craft of Post-Hardcore will have no problems enjoying this album, as they did not make the mistake of not trying to change their sound too much this time around.
The Color Morale make their presence felt in their opening track, and continue their relentless assault throughout the duration of the album. The procession of songs are much more smooth, and overall production of the album is much more crisp than their first time around in We All Have Demons. The guitarists show their competency throughout the album, especially in the song The Dying Hymn where they successful utilize chugging chords that really are used to grab at the emotion rather than being there for no purpose other than to sound heavy for the sake of being heavy.
Human(s) Being is another where really where they show to have improved their craft showing much more crisp guitars, smoother transition, and better work on their choruses. It also shows the competency of their drummer. Who is able to keep up with the ever changing and sporadic time changes of the band, time changes that do not become exhausting or tiring after replay. It also shows one of the best lyrical pieces in the album that goes,
“I am not afraid to die, I am terrified of life.”
The song Falling Awake is a real high point in the album. The incredibly voice of lead vocalist Garret Rapp truly shines the most in this track with his soulful and powerful cleans opening the track, leading to his screamed vocals. His screams, are just as notable as his cleans, showing a ton of competency and showing that they have improved dramatically since his last bout being able to transition from a more higher range to his lower range flawlessly. The guitars also shine on this album as they begin with a softer tone that goes along with Rapp’s soaring cleans before going into a much heavier and melodic sound. Demon Teeth is also another high point, showing the band’s technicality. The song is likely the most fast paced and chaotic song on the album, showing a lot of similarities of similarities to Disambiguation era Underoath and a lot of the other more chaotic bands in the game.
Although the album may not change naysayers minds or convert critics of the genre into lovers, The Color Morale show to be a very decent band in the genre, triumphing over a lot of the more dried out acts in the genre. If you are a fan of this band or love Post-Hardcore in general, then My Devil In Your Eyes will be an album that will have high replay value on your playlist.
