Adept

Another Year Of Disaster

Written by: TL on 12/02/2009 00:04:39

Little over a week ago today the world was graced with an album that till then had been the subject of great anticipation by a small amount of people. Those people being anyone who've ever heard of Swedish Screamo/Post-hardcore hellraisers Adept. Now screamo is a genre that's been put through some serious watering down during recent times, and one would probably be excused for expecting these five small-town Swedes to be just another bunch of wannabes - Which is why it is even more awesome to find that on "Another Year Of Disaster", Adept have gone way above and beyond what it was reasonable to expect from them, doing so many things right where others do them wrong.

The typical Adept song is pedal to the metal screamo, delivered at punk rock speed and with more kinetic energy than a cargo train. The lead guitar races away with one joyous melody after another, while the rhythm empowers the soundscape with simplistic power chords a plenty. By itself, this can of course only ever be 'pretty cool', given that it's not exactly overly original, but when you add the myriad of cool extras contained in Adept's sound, it becomes the core of a winning formula. Classic elements like handclapping, gang-shouts and spoken word parts here and there buy some cheap points, again because we've heard them before in this kind of music, but that can't be said of the absolutely hysterically high pitched screams and barks that emanate from the throat of vocalist Robert Ljung. Even if you're a long time screamo collector, you'll have a hard time remembering a voice as frantic and manic as his, and when you pile this delivery on top of the fact that Adept totally avoid using breakdowns with pretence, instead letting their songs rise and rise and rise in intensity before breaking them down, the end product is so electrifying that it'll feel like your blood is boiling when you listen. If this music is even remotely of the kind you like, you should be restless and wanting to howl along with all the air in your lungs within a couple of songs. I know I am.

The album is constructed by new material built around re-recorded versions of "At Least Give Me My Dreams Back, You Negligent Whore" and "Let's Celebrate Gorgeous (You Know Whose Party This Is)", both of which have gained tremendously from the increased production values - .. Even if I do miss the clean singing that used to deliver the "Prepare for battle!" call of the former. It's still bloody excellent, but yet it pales in comparison to the latter, the second half of which is so God-fuckin'-awesome that it will feel like a screamo fan's nirvana when the guitars kick in after the spoken word and Robert starts screaming "FOREVER! IS JUST AN EMPTY WORD". It's almost a problem for the album that these two oldies are so retardedly strong, because it steals focus from all the other songs, and really, the three preceding ones are good (see "Shark! Shark! Shark!"), and the same goes for the ones in between. The ones that come after are almost on their level, "Grow Up Peter Pan" being so hi-octane that you don't have time to think about whether or not it's as cool as what went before, and "The Art Of Treachery" opening with a slamming beatdown and a proclamation of intent that's not to be mistaken.

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and foes! This song goes out to all you fuckin' quitters out there!"

In case you didn't quite catch all that, let me sum up: The entire batch of songs on "Another Year Of Disaster" range in quality between "awesome" and "OH MY GOD THAT'S FUCKIN' AWESOME!". They are exactly the kind of raging bro-core that'll go down well with fans of Bring Me The Horizon, delivered with the sleazy attitude of Greeley Estates(' latest album). And as for living up to their self-assumed "pop/hardcore" label, Adept have succesfully married the best of both worlds, by fusing cheeky lyricism and great melodies with a 'stand-with-your-friends-and-fight-everyone' spirit. Their debut album is arguably the one their countrymen in Chemical Vocation should've written if they wanted to stay ahead, and while there are a few things (overly similar songs and themes, lack of originality, slightly whiny clean vox), that could be complained about and which restrict Adept from the promised 9 grade, seriously what the fuck do you care? This album is fuckin' excellent, take my word for it and go buy it.

Download: "At Least Give Me My Dreams Back, You Negligent Whore!", "Let's Celebrate Gorgeous (You Know Whose Party This Is)", "An Era Of Treachery"
For The Fans Of: Chemical Vocation('s old stuff), Greeley Estates, Bring Me The Horizon
Listen: myspace.com/theadept

Release Date: 04.02.2009
Panic & Action

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