Reviewed by:
UG Team, on september 16, 2009
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: Sure, Hot Damn! is the record that most Every Time I Die fiends revere and exault. How can you not, with mosh-happy tracks like “Ebolarama” and “She’s My Rushmore.” These Buffalo-born bruisers were always quick to fuse artsy noise with a hefty amount of mosh, without ever, ever scrimping on intelligent, snarky, sarcastic and totally witty lyrical declarations and affirmations. Put simply, ETID were smart then and they’re just as smart now. New Junk Aesthetic steps away from some of that Southern-tinge that marked 2007’s The Big Dirty, but still firmly in place is the gnarly guitars and the whip smart metal that has always been part and parcel of this band’s sound. New Junk Aesthetic isn’t standard or typical metalcore; ETID’s elevates the formula with little intricacies on the guitar. The door of the album blows open with the squall and feedback of “Roman Holiday” and it’s the slowest and sludgiest thing that band has ever done, only serving to prove the fact that heavy doesn’t always have to coincide with fast. “Who Invited The Russian Soldier” gets nasty and feels like a call to action, even though it isn’t, thanks to the sense of urgency that pervades every note of the song and ultimately, the record. The album sound terrific without drifting into sterile territory; it’s never too polished, but it’s crispness is apparent, especially in the fact that you can understand and comprehend the vocals and lyrics. “Wanderlust” has a Mastodonian vibe, and it’s the closest thing the band would have to a single, thanks to its racy riffs and Buckley’s almost fully clean vocalizations. It’s quite reminiscent of At The Drive-In and we all know how influential they went onto become. “White Smoke” and “Turtles All the Way Down” slay in new, unexpected ways, thanks to the band’s use of harmonies! // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Only Keith Buckley can say “We are the life of the funeral” and not sound like a f--king asshole. The vocalist has a rare gift for double-entendre and for twisting clichés into fresh, sarcastic phrasing. He sings and he screams, and on New Junk Aesthetic, his screaming has more depth than it ever has. Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato lends his supernatural pipes to a track on the disc, dubbed “The Marvelous Slut” and he and Buckley trade barbs and display fitting chemistry, even though the song is not even two minutes long. But that’s the beauty of ETID: they make their points efficiently. Buckley and the band have said that the new junk aesthetic of the title is similar to a high calorie, low nutrition menu at a fast food joint. It may taste good going down, but man, it does nothing for your health. So many bands are just churning out soul-free music and ETID aren’t one of them, employing artificial studio means to make music. Buckley’s voice is as raw as a hide of meat and it allows his lyrics to be more immediate and to land like punches from a UFC fighter. // 9
Impression: Metalcore is played out; it’s as saturated with bands as a humid day is with thick, wet and suffocating air. While ETID were born of that genre, they do everything in their power to push it forward and to make something new and different, without succumbing to the ever-popular, vocoder/electronic/mosh trend! New Junk Aesthetic rages from stem to stern, and even when they’re pissed off, ETID have fun while they’re going off. Every Time I Die have always been known for and often celebrated for their on stage antics (costumes, banter, etc) and “never take ourselves too seriously” attitude. New Junk Aesthetic is ETID sticking true to form.
| Every Time I Die guitarist wrote out a tab for the album's song "The Marvalous Slut" exclusively for Ultimate-Guitar.com. Check it out here! |
// 9- Amy Sciarretto (c) 2009
/ my profile 
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