Review Summary: Catchy and heavy, Bad Vibrations has all the ingredients expected of a great ADTR album, but iffy production and repetitive breakdowns hold it back from being their best.
A Day to Remember have always been a simple band, preferring to offer up fun, accessible songs rather than overly technical and intricate compositions. The “ADTR formula” of catchy pop-punk choruses mixed with metalcore-style breakdowns has been replicated, with mixed results, by multitudes of newer groups that have sprung up in the decade since the band’s first record. Despite this, A Day to Remember have always managed to stick to their standard formula while adding new bits and pieces along the way, and their newest effort
Bad Vibrations is no different.
Leading up to the album’s release, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon stated that
Bad Vibrations would be “more heavy than the last three (albums) put together”. By the time we reach the album’s eighth breakdown at only the halfway mark, we can at least say that McKinnon is honest. As a result of its reliance on breakdowns,
Bad Vibrations is sure to please fans of the heavier side of the band, while pop-punk fans may be disappointed by the oversaturation of “chugging” in the guitar leads.
Bad Vibrations is opened by its title track, which is a good indicator of both the strengths and weaknesses of the album as a whole. The earworm chorus, which is the song’s biggest positive, is the first of many throughout the album. Meanwhile, the production is suspect to say the least, as poor mixing causes the breakdowns in the song’s intro and bridge to fall flat. The weak production, which is not exclusive to the title-track, turns out to be one of
Bad Vibrations’ biggest flaws. At the album’s worst moments, the guitars of Kevin Skaff and Neil Westfall sound as if they were recorded underwater, while Joshua Woodard’s bass is muddy and Alex Shelnutt’s drums lack power. Luckily, these moments are few and far between.
The album’s other major problem is its aforementioned reliance on breakdowns, which are extremely hit-and-miss throughout the record. While the viking metal-influenced bridge of ‘Bullfight’ and the short and sweet guitar solo/breakdown in ‘Same About You’ work wonders in adding that little bit of spark to their respective tracks, the breakdowns found in ‘Reassemble’ and ‘Justified’ are rather boring and formulaic. One of the album’s more frustrating moments is the final minute of heavy banger ‘Exposed’, which is dripping with the potential to be one of the standout moments of ADTR’s entire discography, but is neutered by substandard production.
Despite the inconsistency of the album’s heavier tracks, A Day to Remember have found success yet again in crafting catchy hooks, with every chorus on
Bad Vibrations having the potential to get stuck in your head for days. Because of the band’s strength in writing appealing melodies, every song on the album has at least one enjoyable moment that sticks with the listener. Even the mostly forgettable ‘We Got This’, which sounds like a Common Courtesy b-side, has a killer chorus. Jeremy McKinnon’s vocals have also undergone a slight change in style, for the better, as they sound more raw and mature than ever before. The only weak moments vocally are the verses of ‘Turn Off the Radio’, in which McKinnon goes for an oddly high pitched and nasal sound, putting a slight damper on an otherwise great song.
Bad Vibrations is yet another collection of consistently great songs from A Day to Remember, in which the worst tracks (‘We Got This’, ‘Turn Off the Radio’, ‘Justified’) are still enjoyable, and the best tracks (‘Paranoia’, ‘Bullfight’, ‘Forgive and Forget’) rank among the band’s top efforts. ADTR have, as expected, successfully remained true to their signature sound, and produced a record that will keep their core fans happy. While less-than-stellar production and repetitive moments of heaviness keep
Bad Vibrations from reaching the heights of
What Separates Me From You or
Common Courtesy, it still qualifies as a great album, and shows why A Day to Remember have cemented their place as one of modern rock’s biggest names.
