Review Summary: A new, fun album from a pretty good band.
Every now and then there is a band that you absolutely hate. Just seeing this band made you angry. For me, blessthefall was this band. Every time I saw a picture of them it pissed me off. Their last album, Awakening, was crap. The only songs I could even remotely enjoy were the first three. But their new album, Hollow Bodies, is surprisingly enjoyable.
Let's talk about a big part of the band blessthefall, Jared Warth. I personally love his screaming. I think if blessthefall didn't have cleans this album would be at least a 4.5. But sadly, that isn't the case. As in other albums, Jared screams his lyrics with so much strength and power you are almost knocked out of your chair. He is at the top of his game here in Hollow Bodies, and it shows in every line.
Now let's talk about Mr. Pretty Boy, Beau Bokan. Probably my least favorite person in blessthefall, he seems to just go along with the band. No doubting he has a nice voice, no matter how monotone it is. But on Awakening, his vocals felt unneeded, as though they were only there to make some teens happy. But now, he seems to show that he is a force to be reckoned with. Whenever he sings the chorus, you can actually feel something. Whether it be sadness, depression, or hate, Beau sings with passion.
The guitar playing is the same, but with less solos and more breakdowns. Honestly, I think it's fine. People complain that breakdowns are cliche, but breakdowns are fun. They are they so you can head-bang and mosh for the hell of it. Or at least, that's my opinion. Now, the bass. People state that it is inaudible. Are they deaf? The bass is most definitely there. You can clearly hear it in the verses, though it seems to go away in the choruses for some particular reason. Even though the bass just follows the guitars on breakdowns, it's still fun to it on any album, especially this one.
Now the songs are written well. The overall outcome of the album is nice. Most songs have the same structure though. Opening breakdown, Jared, Beau, Jared, Beau, breakdown, more Beau. On this album nothings wrong with that. There are even a couple songs where just Beau is singing, which gives you a break from Jared's screaming which can get annoying if you listen for too long. They even have guest vocals from Jake Luhrs on the track “Carry on.” That completely blew my mind. It was a complete “Did that really happen?” moment.
Overall, Hollow Bodies is a fun, enjoyable album that I will definitely be listening to for a while. If you have a chance, pick up the album or stream it and see if it’s for you.
