Obey The Brave

Young Blood

Written by: PP on 13/09/2012 05:32:12

The enormous influence of The Ghost Inside on the heavy music scene can not be understated. The continuous influx of soundalike bands is putting the hybrid hardcore / metalcore style at a very real risk of becoming over saturated any day now, but for now, we can still enjoy the positive momentum it has with mostly good releases coming in from existing bands and new bands alike. Obey The Brave from Canada are an example of the latter category, having only formed in January 2012 with ex-Despised Icon vocalist Alex Erian lending his pipes for the vocal duties, and although they are nearly a carbon copy of The Ghost Inside, we don't mind, because debut album "Young Blood" is yet another worthy addition to the genre.

There are some minor differences, though, starting from the dynamic guitar work. Where The Ghost Inside rely on lingering melodies that give their songs beautiful ambience to contrast the hardcore elements in them, Obey The Brave appear to be coming in more from the All That Remains school of thought. In practical terms, that means their instruments are more inspired by classic metalcore than hardcore, although breakdowns do exist in heavy quantities here as well. The leads are dynamic and more melodic than those with The Ghost Inside, and often much faster as well, though without ever being in danger of crossing over into Comeback Kid style hardcore punk territory.

The vocals, however, are almost indistinguishable from The Ghost Inside's Jonathan Vigil, as Erian changes from his monotonous deathcore squeal of his old band into a more decipherable scream, where he isn't afraid to use melody as a lining underneath his otherwise powerful delivery. While he's good - really good in places such as "Self Made" or on "Time For A Change" - he does lack some of the inspirational charisma and character that has elevated Vigil into a scene leader. For the most part though, he does a fine job, and is joined by Cancer Bats' Liam and Terror's Scott Vogel for guest appearances during the course of the record.

In the end, "Young Blood" sounds so much like The Ghost Inside it's impossible to avoid constant references to said band in this review or in any conversation about this album. But it also sounds like a solid metalcore album should sound like, even if it isn't as spectacular as "Get What You Give" earlier this year, so if you belong to the legions that have been succumbed into the killer melodies and catchy choruses of the second coming of metalcore, this one should be a no-brainer.

Download: Self Made, Time For A Change, It Starts Today
For the fans of: The Ghost Inside, All That Remains, Stick To Your Guns
Listen: Facebook

Release date 27.08.2012
Epitaph

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