Die Among Heroes

Die Among Heroes

Written by: TL on 04/03/2010 23:38:05

Good readers of Rockfreaks.net - I implore you to trust me in the following: I truly believe that few scribes are as concerned as I am, with spending enough time on each band they review, to properly grasp what kind of identity those bands are going for, before attempting not only to describe it, but also to rate how successfully it is achieved. Hence you must believe me when I tell you that I am sorry, for this upcoming review which is surely going to be among the shortest and least elaborate of mine, and here is why:

The phrase 'generic' gets thrown around a lot in metalcore reviews these days, but seldom have I come across a band on whom it fits so picture perfectly as it does on Die Among Heroes. A five piece from Austin, Texas, who have recently released their self-titled début, which not only is the single most unoriginal metalcore release I have ever heard, it is also a listening experience akin to taking out a slightly attractive woman, yet having to drag along her obnoxious, ugly and immature little sister.

You see, the slightly attractive woman would be a metaphor for Die Among Heroes' heavier parts, which merely sound like generic melodic metalcore, not poor melodic metalcore. The riffs aren't blinding, nor is the bass or drum work, the production or the harsh vocals, yet it is worthy of a pass grade, as it is perfectly enjoyable, albeit in a totally 'heard-it-all-before' kind of way.

The fat, ugly, pimpled, whiny teenager which ruins the whole date however, is what I call each and every occurrence of this band doing either a generic melodic chorus with clean vocals, or a generic acoustic intro/interlude/outro (they are of course there, hadn't you guessed?). This I do for two reasons: 1) the production of these moments sounds so bedroom-studio I can't believe it's on the same record as the heavy stuff. It's as if the sound being less busy instantly allows for you to hear how amateurishly it has really been recorded, and 2) the clean singing of frontman Chase is flat out poor. Fortunately for him, it's not in a 'cannot-be-rectified-and-will-never-learn-to-sing' kind of way, however, it is in a 'has-a-long-fuckin'-way-to-go' kind of way. Even if everything else was pitch perfect, a performance that needs as much work as this one does, would still drain the band's expression of all potency.

I don't think I need to write much more. Even if the players in this band have some skills and an admirable drive and dedication, I still will not recommend their record, for three simple reasons: 1) Their singer is poor. 2) Production of all their meant-to-be-catchy parts is poor. 3) They haven't an original bone in their bodies. For the most starved of metalcore fans only.

4

Download: honestly, all the songs sound the same to me, so take your own pick
For The Fans Of: Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium
Listen: myspace.com/dieamongheroes

Release Date 2009
Black Eye Media

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