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A Day To Remember

Bad Vibrations

Written by: PP on 28/12/2016 22:14:30

A Day To Remember have become somewhat of an institution playing a blend of metalcore and pop punk dubbed as pop-hardcore that for a while seemed like a brief fad that would fade away. Not so with these guys. "Bad Vibrations" is their sixth album, and reorients the band with their heavy origins, focusing on dynamic metalcore riffs and bone-crushing breakdowns much like their early material. The past couple of records had seen them move towards a softer, pop punk-driven direction, which to be fair is still present in nearly every chorus on "Bad Vibrations", but the screamed verses and heavy breakdowns in contrast was always their best trait.

These come back with a vengeance on "Bad Vibrations", with the title track leading the way with pure metalcore riffs and throaty screaming throughout. That said, the band hasn't forgotten about writing anthemic songs either. "Justified", for instance, is metallic and brooding, but it's simultaneously one of the most humongous songs the band has written in terms of reach and soundscape. Similarly, "Reassemble" is easily among the most ambitious anthems the band has written, steering them directly to the arena stages with infectiously catchy, huge choruses that wouldn't really feel at home at smaller venues. Sure, there's still a pop punk song or two on the record, such as "Naivety", which basically sounds like a Sum 41 song. Together with the slick Four Year Strong-inspired melodies of "We Got This" (that should work well for any fan of "NJ Legion Iced Tea" from "Homesick"), these two are essentially polar opposites to the grinding metal riffs that dominate most of the album.

With songs like "Same About You" it all comes together nicely. Screams, anthems, pop punk flavor, breakdowns. It summarizes the record in a nutshell, because "Bad Vibrations" essentially collects all different ADTR styles from the past five albums into a single release, and it does so without sounding disjointed. Somehow the rapid-fire metalcore riffs As I Lay Dying style on "Exposed" go well hand-in-hand with the absolutely huge melodies like "Paranoia" that are arena-sized in their reach and pop flavor. Mainstream audience awaits if they weren't there already. The same kind of fans that lap up Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, etc. will find lots to like here, yet this may be the final release that older ADTR fans will like before their soundscape becomes overtly dramatic and artificially inflated, even more so than it is here already. It's a good album, but longevity is a question mark.

Download: Naivety, Reassemble, Justified, Exposed
For the fans of: Chunk! No Captain Chunk, Sum 41, Four Year Strong
Listen: Facebook

Release date 02.09.2016
Epitaph