A Shipwreck In The Sand Review

Released: Mar 31, 2009
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Label: Victory
Number Of Tracks: 14
The sound on this album is very impressive and crisp. The instruments and sounds all go together great and eventually have their own points where they shine.

Sound:	8.3
Lyrics:	8.8
Impression:	8.8
Overall rating:	8.6
Users rating:	9.4
Comments:	40

Featured review by: unregistered, on april 01, 2009

Sound: The sound on this album is very impressive and crisp. The instruments and sounds all go together great and eventually have thier own points where they shine. The guitars and drums go great with almost every song and can be pretty heavy during verses and get catchy during the chorus. The drums and guitars shine their best at the start of the song "Vices" which starts out with a cool drum beat that goes into a great combination with the guitar. Since the album is broken up by chapters that describe a series of emotions (going from angry to a calmed down emotion), the album slows down by the end, but it isn't a bad thing since the songs are still great. With the diversity of this album and how good the instruments are, it shows how Silverstein has improved and matured as a band. // 7

Lyrics and Singing: Ok so first off, when I first heard this album and lyrics I really liked them a lot because it relates to emotions that I've gone through. So my impressions may be a bit biased but I'll try not to give undeserved credit. So this is how the album is broken up:

Chapter One: It Burns Within Us All:
01.A Great Fire: this is the first song of the album which starts out hard, fast, and full of hatred. The screaming in the song isn't the greatest of all the songs but it recovers with a catchy chorus that intertwines with the screaming.
02.Vices: this song is by far one of the best on the album. The song starts with a strong intro which gives a feeling of the lyrics to come (angry and pissed). The lyrics are great here and are basically about getting drunk after overhearing a girlfriend flirting with someone else on the phone. The lyrics are strong and full of emotion.
03.Broken Stars: this song is a great song to end a chapter lyrically and as well being a good song in general. It about it being hard to let go of a loved one but the singers mind is made up and there is no going back. The song goes on to talk about how hard it is to recover but the singer knows that he made a good choice.

Chapter 2: Liard, Cheaters, And Theives
04.American Dream: this song is about the aftereffects and feeling after the break up. The song is full of pain and yearning for what is gone. The lyrics talk about "not eating, not sleeping, and not feeling." This gives a strong feeling of how hurtful the break up was. It's a great song and can be relatable to many of us who have had painful break ups.
05.Their Lips Sink Ships: this is just a little interlude that builds into the next song. It's nothing special but I find it better to listen to it as it builds into the next song since it's so short.
06.I Knew I Couldn't Trust You: this song is a pretty hard jab at the girl who cheated on the singer. The song goes over the awkward feeling of being at the same place as the ex-lover. The unsaid emotions and immature attempts to avoid each other can relate to almost any break up story. The lyrics interelate greatly with the emotions and feelings that go on in the singers head.
07.Born Dead: this song starts off heavy feeling like something is very wrong but as the song goes on, it calms down and smoothes out. The song from what I get out of it is about smaller fights that and how the lovers are intertwined in a love-hate relationship until they die.

Chapter 3: Fight Fire With Fire
08.A Shipwreck In The Sand: this song starts out with a little story being told of a captain and his crew/ ship. It is almost a metaphore for the other story that had been told but infact, its about a comepletly different story. This story is about a captain being overthrown by his crew. They do this because the captain hasn't found promised treausre and the crew became impatient. Though the song isn't as angry as would be expected, the harmonies are great.
09.I'm the Arsonist: this song feels like it's in the wrong place because after the lighter songs, this one comes out of nowhere full of hatred. This song goes back to the story of the lovers and now the girl is with the singers best friend (which for those who know what that feels like, explains the fuel behind the intro). The screaming and singing go great with each other making this a great diverse song in the album.
10.You're All I Have: after the previous song this one drops back down to the lighter songs with less hatred. The song is about the singer having suicide in the back of his head but he wants to make sure the girl is ok and won't do something to kill herself. The singing is full of feeling and is very poweful considering the screaming is at a minimum here.

Chapter 4: Death And Taxes
11.We Are Not The World: this song is again a strike at the girl who the singer says he was just a game to her while she was his life. But now the singer is starting to realize that she really wasn't the world. The singing here isn't anything too special but it strings along with the album
12.A Hero Looses Every Day) This song starts out leaving the listener to think, "did the singer just....do what i think he said?" The song starts out talking about how the singer has killed the girl in a fire and how he got away. But in the last verse the singer tells us he plans to kill himself now. This song is great and builds up to the final parts of this album.
13.The Tide Raises Every Ship: this again, is an interlude to lead to the final song in the album.
14.The End: ok, honestly I will admit that I love when a band like this goes and gets a female singer to come into play for a song. Seeing the story of the album, I couldn't have asked for a better idea to end the album. The song is great and a nice slow down to the end of the story, it gives a feeling like you are finishing a long car drive (in a good way ofcourse). There is no screaming here and when both singers go into their duete it sounds amazing. The song is an overview of the lovers relationship from start to end and after the death of both of them. This is one of my favorite ending songs for an album. // 9

Impression: To say the least, this is a great album overal for a 14 (really 12) song album. The singers throughout this album. I have to say I love it when a band can scream well and doesn't go to sounding like a bunch of crying girls such as the band Alesana (which are still a fairly good band). Honestly I have very few complaints about the album expect for the out of place songs but that's not much to complain about if you don't listen to every song in order. But if you're looking for an album that has more than just one good song, you will most likely find it here if you like this genre of music. If I could relate this album to anything, I would say it is almost exactly like A Day To Remember's newest album "Homesick" which is also a great album that has been released this year. This is my first review, but I hope that those who read this find it helpful for the most part if you are considering getting this album. Thanks. // 9

overall: 8.7

Reviewed by: Kwyjibo2006, on july 06, 2009

Sound: Two years ago, Silverstein released probably what is their most radio-friendly album to date. "Arrivals and Departures" got decent critical reviews, yet most fans just couldn't get into the music. Songs became more poppy, causing vocalist Shane Told to almost completely cut out his screaming vocals. Now, in 2009, Silverstein are back to the front of the Post-Hardcore scene with their new album "A Shipwreck In The Sand". Billed as a concept album, the album is divided into four chapters, spanning fourteen tracks. And while the production quality remains the same, "Shipwreck" shows Silverstein returning to the style found on their breakthrough album, "Discovering the Waterfront" while mixing in the best elements from "Arrivals". The result is, quite simply, the best Silverstein album in four years.

Beginning with "A Great Fire", the eery piano at the beginning of the track gives the listener a taste of what to expect during the next 45 minutes. The opening chapter, titled "It Burns Within Us All", is comprised of three tracks of some of Silverstein's heaviest music to date, including a guest appearance by Cancer Ba's vocalist Liam Cormie on the lead single "Vices".

The second chapter, "Liars, Cheaters and Thieves", begins with clean guitar chords in "American Dream", a track which will remind listeners of "Discovering the Waterfront", before seguing into the ultra-catchy "I Knew I Couldn't Trust You". The chapter finishes with the excellent "Born Dead", a fast tempo punk song featuring ex-Comeback Kid vocalist Scott Wade.

"Fight Fire With Fire", chapter three, begins with the title track of the album. Anyone who has visited the website for this album will recognize the narrative story found during the first minutes of this track. The track is quite simply amazing, for the most part, with the anthemic ending sounding a bit clichéd to some listeners. However, the next track, "I Am The Arsonist", is quite simply one of Silverstein's heaviest songs to date. This album features stellar guitar work from Neil Boshart and Josh Bradford, with this track featuring their best guitar work on the album. The riffs wouldn't sound out of place on an 80's death metal record, and the track ends with a first for Silverstein: a breakdown. This track is definately a highlight of the album. The chapter ends with "You're All I Have", a song featuring catchy hooks and some great vocal work by Shane, but otherwise a bit of a dissapointment compared to the rest of the album.

The final chapter, entitled "Death and Taxes", begins with "We Are Not The World" and "A Hero Loses Everyday", two great, darker tracks with more poppy elements before seguing into the final track of the album, non-surprisingly titled "The End". While the concept of the song may not be creative (a lengthy acoustic song featuring a guest female vocalist), the song is quite simply, beautiful and a great way to finish this album. The album ends with those same, eery notes heard in "A Great Fire", creating a feeling of full circle on this brilliant record. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: Anyone who has listened to Silverstein since "When Broken Is Easily Fixed" can tell just how much the vocals have improved. Thanks to vocal expert Melissa Cros, Shane Told's voice has gone from a whiny clean and a gut wrenching scream to one of his genre's top vocalists. This album also marks the return of screaming after the almost completely clean vocals found on "Arrivals and Departures". This is most evident during the first chapter of the album, and it is also clear just how much his scream has improved. The album also features it's fair share of clean vocals scattered throughout the album. One thing Silverstein have always been good at is finding the perfect balance between clean vocals and screaming, something that the band achieves constantly throughout the album. Overall, Shane has proven to have evolved greatly as a vocalist and this album may be his best performance yet.

As already mentioned, "Shipwreck" is the band's first concept album. While it is evident that the record does contain a certain storyline, it only truly becomes evident at the very beginning and very end of the album. Certain listeners may have trouble following the love, fire, betrayal and hate found in the story. As for the lyrics themselves, they are classic Silverstein, though they bring something new to a few songs with guest appearances, including up-and-coming Toronto musician Lights, who makes a beautiful appearance on the final track. While the lyrics may not bring anything new (aside from a somewhat confusing storyline), the lyrics, as with every Silverstein album to date, fit perfectly with the songs, and that really is an important part to making a great album. // 8

Impression: "A Shipwreck In The Sand" is exactly the album Silverstein needed to make after their dissapointing third album. It is an album that will easily get old fans to start listening again, and to get new fans in the process. While the storyline could be seen as confusing, or even pointless, the post-hardcore genre isn't famous for it's amazing narratives. It's about playing the music you love with good lyrics to go with it, something Silverstein has accomplished yet again. While they may not have all the elements of a concept record right yet, "A Shipwreck In The Sand" is definately a step back in the right direction for an extremely promising band. // 9

overall: 7.7

Reviewed by: Revenger#11, on april 09, 2009

Sound: This is the fourth studio album for Silverstein after the impressive "When Broken Is Easily Fixed", the breakthrough "Discovering The Waterfront" and the somewhat lacking " Arrivals And Departures".

I think that this album is right up there with Discovering The Waterfront. It is the same Silverstein sound but I think they have discovered a metal core edge to go with their usual Post- Hardcore sound. The riffs are nice and catchy, some are heavy, some are the usual octaves over power chords. Drumming is quite good and the bass(as usual) is non existent for the most part. The concept is fantastic, it adds more intrigue into the music and the lyrics. These guys are a well oiled machine, the albums sounds polished and the sound is very tight. They bring in some guests on this album like Liam of Cancer Bats and Scott Wade (formerly) of Comeback Kid. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are telling the story of the album which is basically a love story. A lot of songs talk about girls(or a girl) cheating on him, him being angry at her and I won't ruin the story but there is an arsonist involved. Of course, the lyrics go deeper than this but this is just an outline. All the songs make sense as a story except the title track which tells a totally different story but an interesting one at that. Vocals are good, cleans are melodic and the screams are decent at least for this genre. // 8

Impression: It compares to other bands in the pop-punk/post-hardcore genre but I think this is a lot more well produced and polished album than others I have heard. Impressive songs are: A Great Fire, American Dream, I Knew I Couldn't Trust You, I Am The Arsonist, A Hero Loses Everyday and A Shipwreck In The Sand.

I love the concept behind the album as well as the way the band sounds (really tight). Guitars are solid and interesting and the drums and bass gel well in the low end.

But

It isn't the greatest album technically on the musical side, and some songs sound similar, similar structures and chords. There is a lot of pop amd punk and not that much "hardcore" but there is enough there for the "hardcore kids". I think this will attract new fans to Silverstein and sway the ones who didn't like "Arrivals And Departures" back. It is a great casual listen.

If it was stolen/lost, I would buy it again because it is worth it and it is a good listen from top to bottom. // 7

overall: 9.7

Reviewed by: 3L3m3ntal, on june 29, 2009

Sound: I acquired Silverstein's newest album, unknowing of what I was getting myself into. After opening it and listening to the first track "A Great Fire" I was completely enthralled with it. The screaming was intense and in my face, the guitars kicked in and were mean, guttural, meaty and vicious, the drums were loud, there, present, and very well executed. The singing, when its clean in songs like "I Knew I Couldn't Trust You" and "A Great Fire" Is beautiful, calming, and very catchy. The split of screaming and singing is well executed and feels right, and matched well with the tempo.

The lyrics of the songs seem to string together well, and paint a story of a soldier. It seems to me that it shows the people that he meets, past lovers, and future decisions. The story is cool, and could be very well devised into a novel. The story and music provide excellent inspiration for aspiring musicians. Overall great sound and delivery, Best album yet because of this. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics as stated above, seem to tell a story of a soldier reflecting on his life basically. Yet the lyrics, with a story like that seem to very much reflect on today's government in possibly a bad way. I'm not saying that its a bad thing, because I'm not for the government, so its a nice change of pace to find a band whom looks at the government in a way that I do.

The lyrics pace well, and reminds me of water. When the music gets harder and rougher, Shane Told (Lead vocalist of Silverstein) Screams. When it flows well and is light and catchy, he sings cleanly for the most part.

Shane Told gives an excellent range and shows his vocal talent in this album. In one song he'll sing at a high octave, the next he'll start out, rough, and ready to scream only to achieve that in three seconds. (Like from "I knew I couldn't Trust You" to "Born Dead") The singer's skills are just simply amazing. // 10

Impression: I love this album. Although the one track I could care less for is "A Shipwreck in the Sand" Its too much of a contrast and doesn't flow with the rest of the album, I think. So, I usually skip to "I am the Arsonist" Which has awesome licks and lyrics.

So far it is my favorite album of the year, which contends against With Roots Above and Branches Below. I love the sound of the album, the artwork of the cover, and Shane Told's voice. It fits so well, that it would seem imperfect with anyone else's voice. Easily said, that if I lost this album, or if it were stolen, I would hurry to buy it again. I think that this is a must have album for those who are looking for something new, or anyone who is into any type of rock music. // 10

Comments

[Nafon]

This would be the best Silversteins record to date.

Great comeback to their last album Arrivals and Departures.. Gosh that was horrible.

I really enjoyed this album more than When broken is easily fixed and Discovering the Waterfront.

[metalcoremax87]

i agree... best album to date

[chimecho05]

I love Silverstein!
My favorite album will always be Disocvering the Waterfront, but this one is good as well

[pyritmann]

INCREDIBLE album, they are back, i was worried about them when arrivals and departures came out which was only meh... but this album is better than even discovering the waterfront.. 5/5

[Tapping_Ninja]

Definetly their best album.... Althoug hI do love when broken is easily fix and discovering the waterfront...

Plus Best Buy had this sweet sale where it was only 9.99 for the speical edition CD... So yeah its awesome...

[Pwnage Engage]

Overall great album, but i cant say that its on the same level with Discovering the Waterfront though.

[cscissorhands]

Great album, but the review sounds like it was written by a 12 year old kid who doesnt know his guitar from his dick

[aceofspades2k5]

cscissorhands wrote:

Great album, but the review sounds like it was written by a 12 year old kid who doesnt know his guitar from his dick

+1

[Lohnanmilitia]

yeah, its a pretty good album. Definitely a return to form for them.

[proswimmer89]

It's good to hear all these reviews since I preordered the limited edition one.
Can't wait for it

[We'realltoBlame]

The review is pretty redundant,and doesn't even touch on the fact it's a concept album. The album's freaking sick though, great come back for them.

[guitard00d13]

yeah def good to hear all these reviews, cant wait to get it soon.. was hoping it wasnt going to be a dissappointment..

[Ranmanbassist18]

solid album its good to listen through the whole album start to finish.I like the idea of using chapters to break off the different emotions in each group of songs.

[turncoat60%]

Had no clue these guys came out with a new album. I didn't really like Arrivals and Departures but i'll check this one out

[cook94]

i kinda thought it was "ok". WBIEF and DTWF are the best IMO.

[Shinsen88]

Pre-ordered and got it yesterday. I was really, really happy when I listened to this album. The fact that they returned to a more guitar-driven sound is great, and the fact that Shane really brought it up a level as far as the vocals is icing on the cake. The lyrics are also a step up from Arrivals and Departures, which had (IMO) pretty weak lyrics. I'd be tempted to rate this album somewhere around a 10.

[metal_666_man]

bought it yesterday and i love it. Best album so far. Although i personally didnt think Arrivals and Departures was as bad as some of the comments ive read say. The guitar though is much better here then arrivals and departures aswell as the vocals. I deff give this a 9/10. Id give it a 10 but there are a couple weak songs but none the less, Great Album!

[by_guitar11]

Fuck.

This is a great album. Some really metal riffs.

[lordneezi]

I am really impressed with it.

[ticklemeemo]

Lyrics still aren't up to par with past efforts...
I really liked Shane's lyrics but lately they suck.

[LPChxc]

this album is NOTHING like Homesick. i have no idea what the hell you were thinking when you said that. Homesick is not a concept album, and is mostly about touring and being away from home, not a terrible relationship with a significant other. both albums are great, but definitely not alike.

[LPChxc]

how can you compare this album to homesick? both are great, but definitely not lyrically alike. homesick is (obviously) about touring and being away from home so long, not a concept album about a meaningful relationship with a significant other gone wrong.

[The_Wilrus]

Agreed. I also think the blend of pop into Homesick sets it apart from Shipwrecks. At least as far as a comparison goes. Solid album but Silverstein has always been that band that is just around growing up right beside there hometown. Can't actually see them bigger then that 5 buck band every other weekend. Bias?

[foster.getagrip]

Alright, is there more or less screaming than Discovering the Waterfront? because it was a good cd, but about all the screaming I can handle.

[foster.getagrip]

Oh btw does this kid know it's ultimate guitar, not ultimate singer? jeez I swear are singing and lyrics the only thing this guy can talk about???

[guitar_freak91]

by_guitar11 wrote:

Fuck.

This is a great album. Some really metal riffs.

lol fail. Silverstein is in now way related to metal. its post-hardcore man.
dont get me wrong, love the band.
but noooot metal XD

[keithckw123]

guitar_freak91 wrote:

by_guitar11 wrote:

Fuck.

This is a great album. Some really metal riffs.

lol fail. Silverstein is in now way related to metal. its post-hardcore man.
dont get me wrong, love the band.
but noooot metal XD

listen to intro of I Am The Arsonist
definitely metal riff

[Under The Sun]

I am the Arsonist is my new favorite silverstein song, but this is my 2nd favorite silverstein album, nothing can take the cake away from discovering the waterfront, but this was a MUCH needed improvement from "Arrivals and departures" 9/10

[ismellfunny13]

heavier album but haven't been able to get into it yet

[MAXPAYNE4664]

Silverstein's best album to date.

[nkbrocker]

Good album! I know a lot of people give Silverstein because of their emo sounds in the past, which I get cuz I am not really a fan of the emo sound but i really am enjoying this album! Its a lot harder than most of the previous albums, and had more songs that were up my alley, straying farther from that emo sound I dont like and going slowly more towards the hardcore genre. Im happy with it!

[DarkTyler359]

I'd say that this review is only 10% correct in the story progression of the album

p.s, this sounds absolutely nothing like Homesick, it's 100 times better and deeper than it

[Emo_Blood]

good album. just some of the songs werent as catchy as discovering the waterfront. a friend of mine said really depressing album. the 3 guests for the songs were great. The End FT. Lights was really good. wasnt expecting it to be that good

[olheiser01]

First off, this HAS to be Silverstein's greatest album. I don't get how people say it's not. Discovering the waterfront was sweet but this album has so many more aspects to it. its definitely a more mature and technical album. I liked arrivals & departures but like some of you said, it was a little "meh" even though i did like it. I was afraid they might go pop punk or no screamo but they totally didn't. I mean listen to I am the Arsonist, totally a metal intro. Awesome album overall. I love every song.

[guitar_freak91]

keithckw123 wrote:

guitar_freak91 wrote:

by_guitar11 wrote:

Fuck.

This is a great album. Some really metal riffs.

lol fail. Silverstein is in now way related to metal. its post-hardcore man.
dont get me wrong, love the band.
but noooot metal XD

listen to intro of I Am The Arsonist
definitely metal riff

um. no.
silverstein=post-hardcore
the faceless=metal

are the bands anything like one another? no.
hardcore elements have nothing to do with metal. breakdowns are not really metal either. even though i know i'll get bashed by a bunch of trendy hardcore kids for saying that.

[A_New_Level]

This album is incredible. I can't stop listening to it. It's really amazing to hear bands like this and hear their experience and how they coped. This album is almost as good as "Homesick"

[olheiser01]

haha its so funny hearing people complain over what's metal and whats hardcore. In my opinion, Hardcore sounds similar to metal but its not and silverstein are (post)hardcore. I agree with keithckw123 that breakdowns are hardcore not really metal (usually metal with breakdowns is metalcore). The intro to I am the Arsonist definitely could be an intro to a metal song but it dosent make silverstein more
"metal" theyre still a post hardcore band

[Pwnage Engage]

dude its just a fact that post hardcore branches off of metal.

its like saying that an orange has nothing to do with a tangerine. No one is denying that they are different, but they are within the same musical family.

If it wasnt for Metal, then posthardcore stuff wouldnt exist. And yes, the intro to I Am The Arsonist IS a metal riff. it doesnt mean that the band is a metal band, it just means that they chose a metal riff for a heavy song.

End of discussion (hopefully)

[Rockinguitar]

I'll just add something, Pwnage Engage before you engage some pwnage. Who cares about genre? You may like Attack Attack but not I Set My Friends On Fire, even though they're the same genre. Kick "genre" in the face people, and like whatever the heck you like.

[tank555666]

At first the album sounded weird to me since i heard some things that i haven't heard from Silverstein. The verses were definitely different and changed pace quickly. After a while i started listening to it more and i started to like it. Now i do like it! There's a lot of heavy fills and riffs. Wouldn't call it metal but definitely heavier. "I Am The Arsonist" is my favorite so far. The Chorus is GREAT! The way the guitars are mixed with Shane's vocals is awesome. Oh, and the real definition of Hardcore comes from Punk music so it does not relate to metal at all. Now it does for some reason.