Instinct
Reviewed by:
jetfuel495, on may 09, 2011 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: Back in 2006, every ultra-brutal scene kid loved As Blood Runs Black. And while I wasn't exactly a brutal scene kid (mother would never let me wear those colorful shirts), I did enjoy their debut album "Allegiance". The C Minor chug riffs, use of every vocal style imaginable, and the concept of using two or three breakdowns per song appealed to me at the time. But after the initial admiration of a band who managed to constantly increase their fanbase while doing absolutely nothing faded, I realized how bland and predictable the music was. Granted, I could still get down to "Allegiance" if I was in the mood (more for nostalgia's sake than anything), but this band literally took everything that the modern metalcore scene had already done and mixed it all together. It just isn't interesting.
Now, if Instinct had come out in 2007 or 2008 when everyone was expecting it to, I'd have probably liked it just as much as I liked "Allegiance" as a kid. But here's the thing. "Instinct" wasn't released in 2008. This is 2011. Different decade, same garbage. And I'm not saying that to try to be harsh or anything, but this band hasn't progressed very much if at all in the past five years since their last album. Five years!
What have they learned in those five years? Not much more than they already knew, apparently, except for how to rip off some of their contemporaries (fitting that they're going on tour with Caliban). The intro, "Triumph", sounds completely Black Dalhlia Murder-esque. I'll admit, the intro had me excited, feeling like a giddy high-schooler again. But "Legacy" started up and then I realized: I'm 21, this is 2011, I'm minute into the first song and I'm already disappointed in the album. It sounded like they took a song from "Allegiance" and put some Within The Ruins riffs over it. And as much as I didn't like the last Within The Ruins album, they do the whole quirky hammer on noodling riff thing a lot better.
Little has changed about the band, except for maybe the amount of notes they're willing to shove into a given amount of space. And unsurprisingly, it's all the same notes, just played in different orders. Anybody who has either spent far too much time listening to metalcore or is critical of the modern scene (I guess I'm both) will know what I'm talking about when I say these guys abuse the "0-8-7-5" riffs. Some of their new songs literally sound like their old songs played backwards. And don't get me started with the breakadowns. I love a good breakdown, but I hate a needless one.
Alright, so the music is slightly more technical than before, and I'll admit, there's a pretty nifty solo or two stashed in the album somewhere. But overall, this is just genericore. I feel like they recorded this album years ago and lost it under a desk and decided to party until they found it. Then they brushed it off, put some vocals on it, and released it. There's no progression from the wannabe horror-soundtrack metal that they've always been.
I will give them some credit, though, their last track (the title track of the album), was actually surprisingly good. Musically, it doesn't have much separating it from the rest of the album except for the fact that it's really well executed. It has some sort of quality to it that the other songs are lacking that just makes you take it a bit more seriously. The melodies and the music have a bitter, yet remorseful and introspective theme to them. One of those "walking away" kinda tracks. It was the only time throughout the album where I felt like I could actually pull something deeper than "I'm angry" out of the music. There's a pretty cool bass solo in there, too. Shame that none of the other tracks live up to the final one, though. // 3
Lyrics and Singing: So the new vocalist isn't that bad. I mean, the old one was better, but the new guy gets the job done. His lows sound like a short, less beefy Howard Jones, his highs sound like a less beefy version of that guy from All Shall Perish. I mean, it suffices for this type of music. Definitely isn't as versatile or as interesting as the old guy, though, who used to be a selling point for the band.
Lyrical themes deal with many of the pseudo-tough guy ideals found in many of today's "metalcore" bands who claim affiliation with the hardcore scene, which include, but are not limited to: honor, rebellion, resistance, perseverance, personal struggles, etc. Alot of it sounds really positive, to be honest. Like, a motivational speech or something. I guess it's better than violence and sadness or whatever it is you find in deathcore these days. Hey, at least they're not jumping the "concept album about the downfall of man" bandwagon that everyone does these days. In fact, I think that's the most positive thing I can say about this album, the lyrics are probably the best part. But, there's not much else I can say. // 5
Impression: The problem is that in the five years since their last album, every other band in the scene has already made this record. And most other deathcore bands still surviving with a good amount of popularity all bring redeeming qualities with them to the table, but what do As Blood Runs Black bring? I don't see it. As a former fan, I feel like I have the right to say "how on earth did these guys manage to increase their popularity, much less maintain it?"
Take everything I say with a grain of salt, though. I'm not really into deathcore as much as I was years ago. I don't go out of my way to listen to bands of this ilk anymore, but I just had to see what four years of hard work resulted in for this band. But while other bands have moved forward (JFAC dropped the "-core", Born Of Osiris finally released a decent album, Bring Me The Horizon actually write music now), ABRB have been running in circles. Granted, they're running a tad bit faster, but still in the same circles.
Some of you will disagree with everything I'm saying about this band, claiming that the new album is good and that I'm either an elitist or I just don't get it. Maybe this is true. Maybe it isn't. I'd like to say it isn't, given the fact that I used to be a fan of As Blood Runs Black. But I can't think of any good reasons anymore to listen to a band that just personifies the stagnant nature of the modern "metalcore" scene. I may listen to the track "Instinct" again a few more times in the future, but other than that, this album just doesn't do it for me. // 3
Instinct
Reviewed by:
axeldarkman420, on september 28, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: Back in 2006, As Blood Runs Black released "Allegiance", and it forever changed the deathcore scene. It was a very important album for the scene. With the melodic death metal influences and the metalcore/hardcore influences making it a really good album for everyone who's down with the scene. Anyways, enough about that album. In the 5 year span has ABRB made any progression? Yes and no. Yes in the fact that their riffs are more complex, technical, and progressive (the title track and the interludes), but they haven't really made much progression on the account that they are still stuck with the "0-8-5-7" sorta riffs from the first album.
The overall sound on the record is very similar to their first record 'cause, like I said before, they use a lot of the same open note chugging and "0-8-5-7" riffs, but I still think they are sick. The chord progressions on the record are more of the same on "Allegiance", but they have gone out of the C-minor key with their riffs, making themselves stand out more. They also used material from their pre-production demo and put in a solo to make it flow ("Echos Of An Era"). They also took one of their instrumentals, "Air Force One", and turned it into the song "In Honor". The breakdowns are crushing, but they are short ones in-between riffs, so after a couple of bars of a breakdown, it goes back into a fast riff. The intro track is a lot like their first intro from "Allegiance" as well, making it build up for what was to come, and the other instrumental ("Tribulations") was also like an intro to "Divided".
The bass plays what the guitars are playing most of the time, yet there are some bass sweeps here and there during the course of the record, but you don't really hear it accept in some of the breakdowns and when the guitars go into a higher register. The drums are less over the top with the fills, but Leche is still doing some interesting fills and is still really tight. Lastly, the vocalist utilizes a metalcore scream/growl and the hardcore shouting which works for what the music has. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are more of the same from the first record, about rebellion and risking it all and whatnot, mostly "tough guy" lyrics, but they fit the atmosphere of the record. The album cover is also really cool 'cause it looks like a futuristic setting, maybe telling us how much they grew as musicians over the 5 year span. // 8
Impression: Production of "Instinct" is quieter in a sense cause "Allegiance" seemed louder, but it's still crystal clear as you can hear every riff and drum fill and you can understand what the vocalist was screaming.
80/100
Pros:
Fast riffs
Heavy breakdowns
Good lyrics
Cons:
Vocals are a little generic -5
The interludes don't really help the music -10
It could have been a little longer -5
To conclude, this was a great record and anyone who liked their first record will dig this. One of the best records of 2011. Go buy it. // 8
Instinct
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 28, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: The thing I noticed immediately about this album was the change in production because the drums were less punchy and loud... As Blood Runs Black are a fairly straight forward deathcore band which is something most don't like but the thing they had that made them good in my mind was that at the individual components were good. The guitarists were reasonably technical and the screams were quite good, overall I liked the sound they had and I disagreed that they sounded super generic and unoriginal... But of course Lech is probably most peoples main attraction to the band... And they went and leveled everything out giving it a flatter sound with the drums sounding convincingly less impressive and everything sounding generic. It definitely wasn't horrible especially if you are a fan of the band..it was just... Okay? Nothing stood out and it isn't going to win anyone over that didn't like them already... A disappointing effort after waiting months for it (they released the best song on the album ages before it was released... Awful misleading to be honest) and I thought Allegiance was definitely better. // 7
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics were different to the common trends of most deathcore bands, trying to be meaningful instead of violent of tough. It fits the music reasonably well. The new vocalist is doing his job with nothing to really complain about. He doesn't really hold many screams or have intros or breakdowns or bridges to scream so he just blends in with the music and isn't a stand out or a problem. // 8
Impression: I still enjoyed the first half of the album but it did blur into background music towards the end. Solos have improved and the bass on the album is really quite good but very few riffs stand out and the drums have been blended more into the rest of the music which, with lech's talent, is a terrible feature or Instinct.
I waited for too long and my expectations for the album may be a contributing factor to how average it turned out to be but it was still a good album for fans of the band and the genre. If you are neither of those, then I recommend you listen to Allegiance first. // 7
Instinct
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 18, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: In contrast to "Alliegance", their previous album, ABRB has brought us music that leans towards the Death Metal side of Deathcore instead of the more Metalcore side of Deathcore. In this album they've also incorperated the use of more keys besides C, and thus it gives the album a more diversified feel to it. Each song in the album leads into the next one perfectly, and their riffs aren't as repetative as they were in the previous album (so now you can actually tell a difference in each song). The solo's are very soulful and fit the backing tracks rather well. Dan's solos are different from Ernie's, yes, but Dan's seem to just meld with the songs all the time, while Ernie's solo in "My Fears Have Become Phobias" didn't really fit the song well. If he had made the solo longer, then maybe, but it just didn't flow with the song, in my opinion. I am very impressed with this album and highly reccomend it. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are more about self-realization and staying true to yourself. So, in a way, it's a self-motivational album that can give one with self-esteem issues help in that aspect of their life. The lyrics could have been better in spots, but, over-all, I believe the lyrics were written well. The level is about the same as Alliegance. Sonik is okay as a vocalist, and he sounds pretty similar on the album as he does live, but he's not much of a frontman. However, I must say, that his vocals somewhat fits the sound the band has created for this album. But, let's just say I want them to get another vocalist again. // 7
Impression: "Instinct" is much better than their previous album, in my opinion. This really shows off their technical skill and their are less similarities from song to song than there is in "Alliegance". I love the melodical and technical blend of this album and it's brutal breakdowns, as usual. However, in some of the songs, like "Echoes of an Era" the riffs get a little repetative, so, they could have done something different in that aspect, I think. My favorite songs in the album are "Triumph", "Legacy", "Resist", "Echoes of an Era", and "Instinct". I would deffinately get this album again, it is worth your money! // 8
Instinct
Reviewed by:
HWFG1, on march 15, 2011 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Having been through several lineup changes in the past four and a half years, obviously Instinct sounds unlike it's predecessor Allegiance. "Triumph", the intro track, starts off very much in your face, and sets the tone for the record. The album is very much a metalcore album, and does not offer much variety. "Legacy" picks up where "Triumph" leaves off, and while it is an enjoyable track, does not offer much new to the CD, other than a fairly decent guitar solo. "Resist", my personal favorite, has a catchy main riff which keeps the listener hooked throughout the song. "Angel City Gamble" doesn't stand out too much, but the drum work on it is quite nice. "Tribulations" is an interlude track featuring some string and piano work, and is the only break in the album. The transition from "Tribulations" to "Divided" isn't well done, but "Divided" is a decent song. I quite like the riffs in "King of Thieves"; the riffs are the high point of the second half of the CD to me. The solo is quite nice, too. "In Honor" doesn't stand out at all, really. "Instinct" serves as a nice ending track to the album, and tops it off well, with some guitar solos and more decent riffs, not to mention the cool bass section. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are quite unique in that they address growing up and developing, as opposed to the normal topics metal bands tend to use. The singer has a decent voice; As Blood Runs Black chose the right guy to replace their old singer. His voice fits nicely with the music and is an essential part of the album. // 9
Impression: Albeit being a decent album, Instinct does not hold a candle to Allegiance. The climax of the album comes within the first couple of songs, and pretty much continues on downhill from there. The songs start to run together towards the end of the album, however, it is well worth a listen or two if you are an As Blood Runs Black fan. // 8
As much as I used to love these guys, (and it may have something to do with the fact that I'm really into progressive stuff at the moment) this album was just so boring.
I downloaded it as a "try-before-I-buy" thing and I couldn't even listen to the whole thing. Way too repetitive and well... boring.
I loved Allegiance, but I found attention veering elsewhere after a couple songs of Instinct. It's all very bland and boring, and the production quality seems pretty low for a sophomore album.
It seems that your review would agree with that even though you gave it an 8 -_-
Though i appreciate that they kept the same Allegiance formula, the fact that they only have 2 remaining Allegiance era members means that they physically can't make another authentic sounding ABRB album. I loved that nick does alot of bass sweeps on Instinct and hated that lech has less standout drum parts like he did on Allegiance. Overall this album is OKAY but does not live up to Allegiance.
Also, this is the posterband for how not to sound unique.
This. This is the most generic deathcore band, and deathcore is a generic genre. I bought their first album, gave it two listens, and never touched it again. Waste of 10 bucks.
As much as the music is boring and uninventive...From the first track, I harkened back to what used to be metalcore's main - and probably only - strength. They just sound pissed off and ready to fight! The production gives such a big underground vibe, which as far as I am concerned, plays to metalcore's musical - if they even have any? - strengths. Maybe I'm just grasping for straws here, but, I actually enjoyed this enough to not delete it immediately after downloading. (Happens to about 95% of everything I download)
If there wasn't a breakdown every thirty seconds, these guys could probably make a decent metal album. Because ultimately, however tolerable they are...That shit gets annoying.
I love Allegiance, granted at times it got repetitive at times but I could still listen to the whole thing. Instinct is just really bland. They have the same feel with the same riffs and it all gets old real quick. The singer isn't as good either unfortunately. The songs all sound the same, so it's hard to hear them all. Maybe they will pick it up on the next time around.
This was a great album in my opinion. The only problem is they could have put the intro together with the first actual song, and had at least one fast part in Instinct. Just saying.
@jetfuel495 Whatever !!
When I read your review I got the strong feeling that there are some very obvious jelousy statements written in it. And I can personally understand why because you're stil young and you probably do not know wht you're talking about. And Thats all good because everybody has the right to their own opinion, but I couldn't disagree more. Instinct is in many ways abetter album than allegiance.
Firt of all they must have had a better producer on the new album because the overall sound is way better !!! It sounds real fluid and the drums are a big part of that. Soundwise they are toned down a notch and blend in with the guitar work much better than on the allegiance album.
You complained in your review that the new songs were not original and innovative... and here is the thing ABRB is a metalcore band dude that is what metalcore sounds like. And probably more important its how its supposed to sound like
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