Featured review by:
UG Team, on february 19, 2008
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: Four Letter Lie is currently signed to Victory Records, a label that plays or has played host to quite a large list of successful “hardcore” artists including Atreyu, Between the Buried and Me, Silverstein, and Thursday. Obviously, the artists on the label find a niche in the emo-tinged pop-hardcore, and Four Letter Lie is no exception. In fact, their latest album, What A Terrible Thing To Say is a little too reminiscent for its own good; the album is like a little brother of UnderOATH’s They’re Only Chasing Safety with a deeper scream, or even a poppier Atreyu sans crushing guitars, or a slightly harder Silverstein. To put it simply, Four Letter Lie doesn’t do much of anything to make them stand out. The screams, the guitars, the drums, and the entire feel of the album will draw fans of modern pop-hardcore to them, but will leave a lot to be desired in terms of originality and intellectuality. Breakdowns occur occasionally, and choppy guitars under lozenge-longing screams saturate the album. Nonetheless, this will be a fairly good listen to anyone who is a fan of the genre, especially since it’s just so damn catchy. // 7
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics on the album are, dare I say, typical. Most revolve around a girl and the singer’s undying love for her, or how she broke his heart and is evil; as the lead “screamer” puts it, “She must be the devil.” Not to say the lyrics aren’t as catchy as the flu, they’re just very typical (ironically, one of the best lines in the album, from the title track, is “We’ve heard this all before.”) Lines like those in Charlatan (“if this is what’s called love, I’ve been betrayed”) represent the style of the album, love lost, love wanted, or love in transit of the great trek called being a teenager. // 6
Impression: If you find UnderOATH’s They’re Only Chasing Safety to be a good listen, give this album a run-through; it’s light, pop-influenced “hardcore” will definitely ring a few bells, along with some genre-staple necessities like the infamous clave drum-and-guitar and the all too familiar breakdown reminding you of the all-too apparent lack of true ingenuity in the album. Regardless of the lack of originality, though, What A Terrible Thing To Say does have a few things going for them: they’ve got the catchiness of pop down-pat (I find myself singing a few chorus lines with them from time to time) and their music isn’t half bad for the genre they play. Nonetheless, the album is a fair attempt, but ultimately lacking. If you’re not a truly devoted fan, don’t bother the purchase, just listen to the singles. // 7
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