Heavy, outlandish and quick - words that describe Buffalo-based metalcore outfit Every Time I Die. The band came together in 1998 with brothers Keith and Jordan Buckley on vocals and guitar, respectively. At the height of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, Every Time I Die released their LP Gutter Phenomenon in 2005. The album included the single "Kill the Music," which featured a hilarious music video in which actor Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy) made a cameo.
Every Time I Die has played all throughout the country on famed metal music tours such as Sounds of the Underground, Ozzfest and Warped Tour. The band has done shows with other famous heavy metal bands like Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage and others. This past week, Every Time I Die released its fifth full-length album, New Junk Aesthetic.
Every Time I Die is known for its raucous live shows, its heavier-than-Aunt-Bertha riffs and its surprisingly eloquent lyrics. The band's lead singer, metalcore pretty boy Keith Buckley, attended Virginia Tech for a time, then left to become a high school English teacher before making music full-time. While I agree with Melissa Cross (The Zen of Screaming) that he has "mastered the art of screaming," he seems to be doing his part to branch out to more melodic vocals on this album, and he has done a decent job.
New Junk Aesthetic does not make any attempt to surprise listeners. It sounds exactly like I thought it would, but that doesn't necessarily mean it completely disappoints.
Apart from the incorporation of more melodic singing on the album, I don't really feel a sense of growth and progression with the band. While Gutter Phenomenon was an excellent album, I felt underwhelmed by the lack of musical progression in New Junk Aesthetic.
Oddly enough, the single "Wanderlust" is the most progressive track on the album. The song features more melodic vocals than normal Every Time I Die songs. Buckley at times tries to sound like a southern blues vocalist, which may seem ridiculous because he is from Buffalo, but, yet, he almost succeeds.
"For the Record" also shows off Buckley's lyric-writing chops. In the song, Buckley screams the tale of a fugitive who finally got caught, growling "Can't sidestep the long arm for too long with this paper trail / I've let them devour my heart for some material." Though it does not sound as poetic when you listen to it - courtesy of the screaming vocals - the lyrics read well on paper.
"The Sweet Life" closes the album on a radio friendly note. It's more straight-up rock and roll than any other song on the disc.
I was very into the New Wave of American Heavy Metal while I was in high school. Bands like Every Time I Die were just the bees-knees. Although the good ones continue to stand, the genre seems a bit tuckered out. At the same time, bands like Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God have expanded their sounds and managed to connect with a new generation of listeners.
Sadly, Every Time I Die's new album did not impress me. Though the band tries some new things, its formula remains mostly the same. The sound is tried and done.
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