Search - It Dies Today :: Sirens

I Should Really Hate This Album....

LeftManOut | TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL | 11/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After all It Dies Today's "Sirens" is the dictionary definition of "selling out;" ditching your abrasiveness and toning down your sound in order to appeal to the mass music audience. Yet I feel like I'm definitely in the minority of those older fans who actually like this album. Let's get the credentials out of the way first: Yes I've been listening since "Forever Scorned". I picked up the Caitiff Choir the day it came out and preceded to run the disc dry, and I've seen them live plenty of times. But even despite all that, and no matter how much I want to hate this cd, I just can't. It's unbelievably catchy. Granted this is designed to be nothing more than a high selling, "here today, gone tomorrow" record, it gives me what I need right now.



I won't lie to you; If you are looking for an album that fosters any kind of brutal edge or intense atmospheres, "Sirens" is not that album. The reviewer who described this album as "Pop-Metal" is dead on. In fact there's very little about this record that is "hardcore" at all. Aside from the 3 or 4 breakdowns scattered throughout, you'd be hard pressed to find the angsty, aggression that once embodied this band's (and many others in past metalcore's) sound.



However I just cannot stop listening to this disc. Despite my best efforts, and knowing just exactly how much this cd is an attempt to attract every 14 year old, dyed-black-hair, girls-pants-wearing scenester, This cd is just so unbelievably catchy, it's not even funny. Take the opener "A Constant Reminder," for example, which is probably one of the most straight ahead rocking tracks on the album, chock full of melodic riffs, fast drumming, and a chorus that will (even if you don't want it to, trust me) undoubtably get stuck in your head. I guarantee if you make it through one listen of the song, It won't be the only time. If this is the type of reaction they wanted, then I guess they did well, because I have a hard time turning it off. Now granted if your tastes lie in the most extreme spectrums of metalcore and hardcore, you're probably going to turn this off like it's the plague, if you enjoy melodic music, "Sirens" is a feast.



"A Port In Any Storm" and "Sirens" are both strongly melodic tracks, mostly centered around their tightly wound choruses and vocal melodies. You won't find much screaming in either one. In fact the whole disc is fairly lacking in the screaming department, which is something I miss, yet something I can get over. A big downside though is that even when Nick screams, it's not very strong. It sounds very fake and polished. Then again this record was produced by GGGarth, and he is notorious for giving Hardcore/Metalcore bands a much more glossy sound. It Dies Today is no different. "Re-ignite The Fires," "Through Leaves, Over Bridges" and "On The Road (To Damnation) are probably the heaviest tracks, but that's not really saying much, since the lightest tracks off "The Caitiff Choir" were probably heavier.



But I'll also be honest, the record has problems. Like I said, Nick's screams are fairly weak, when he is screaming that is. He does try something new, some sort of yell/shout type vocal style ("On The Road (To Damnation)", "Black Bile, White Lies"), but it's fairly cheesy, and sounds like it was lifted straight from some 80's speed metal album. "Sixth Of June" is one of the most horrid songs I've ever heard the band write. I'm sorry, but I can do without the "666 meets lost love" lyrical topics. Actually most of the lyrics are pretty unappealing. Aside from "Turn Loose The Doves" and "Re-Ignite The Fires" there isn't really anything that will capture your attention. The bass is totally buried underneath everything, and since there aren't many breakdowns, there is never really any opportunity for it to shine. In fact if it weren't for the drums and guitars on here, This record would probably have only gotten 2 stars from me.



After the smoke clears, you basically have a record that offers no sort of middle ground. You're either going to love "Sirens" or you're going to hate it. I'll make it simple, for fans of melodic screamo/post hardcore, pick this album up; you'll really enjoy it. Fans of older It Dies Today or heavier metal and hardcore (unless you are VERY open to more melodic styles of music) would be best suited to just stay away. Why waste your hard earned cash if you know that you won't like it? Now of course there will be exceptions on both sides (after all I'm an older It Dies Today fan and I enjoy the album for what it is), I feel that the majority of the listeners will fall that way. "Sirens" isn't the best album of 2006. Nor is it the best IDT album. However with its catchy choruses, great guitar and drum work (the actual saving graces of the record), and melodic energy, it's pretty enjoyable. Approach with an open mind, or don't bother."

Blame Trustkill? Yes.

Bill Lumbergh | Initech | 03/11/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"It's rather sad that a once great band has taken a path (a.k.a. label) that directed them into a sinking trap. I actually enjoyed "The Catiff Choir" in smaller doses, even though it brought nothing new to metalcore. "Sirens" brings absolutely nothing new to the table, and the band is yet again spiraling into the generic path. Well, they basically ditched the sound that they brought us promise with our "Forever Scorned" EP, and decided to add more poppy nasally vocals and try to fit into the Bullet For My Valentine/Avenged Sevenfold/Atreyu category. And I honestly don't approve of it. This is not what metalcore is intended to be.



If you want a solid, original, listenable and enjoyable metalcore release, forget this. Try Parkway Drive, Endthisday, Misery Signals and Prayer For Cleansing instead. Or go for their "Forever Scorned" EP and reminscence about the death of a once great band that has been dramatically made over by Trustkill (just like Bleeding Through, Eighteen Visions, Throwdown, and so forth)."

(3.5 stars) Surprisingly decent!

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 02/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With predictable, formulaic song structures and melodic choruses that metalcore fans were tired of listening to a couple of years ago, you're just dying to hate a band like It Dies Today. But if anybody ever tells you that IDT CAN'T rock, tell that foolish person to proceed straight to the Buffalo quintet's sophomore release, last year's "Sirens." The soaring, emo-ish choruses (which are featured on nearly every track) grow a bit stagnant after only a couple of songs, but the disc is also filled with surprisingly tight and professional musicianship (i.e. chunky, inspired riffing, mean, bruising rhythms, and quickly thumping drum beats), and aggressive, Unearth-lite yells. Then, add tons of nifty hooks, and a fairly raw production job, and you've got one very solid record.



Openers "A Constant Reminder"and "A Port In Any Storm" boast pounding rhythms, busy, blistering riffs, and infectious, open-aired choruses that are big enough to require their own zip code. "The Bacchanal Affair" and the groovey "Sacred Heart" are two occasions where heavy music is held down (at least somewhat) by a wealth of clean singing, but songs like the corrosive "Reignite The Fires," "Black Bile, White Lies," and "On The Road (To Damnation)" (which is highlighted by meaty, angular riffs, and a nice, melodic guitar solo) are very punishing numbers with almost visceral yelling and almost not vocal pleasantries. Other notable inclusions are the dreary, restrained, string `n' all title track (a power ballad of sorts), and "Turn Loose The Doves," which intersperses clean crooning (that you can almost hum along to) amidst a thunderously heavy, foundation-shaking rhythm.



"Sirens" definitely does not break any new ground for the band or the genre, but it's still quite an accomplished and enjoyable affair. It's doubtlessly as good as -- and arguably even better -- than the product put out by most metalcore bands glutting the current music scene, and if nothing else, it proves It Dies Today have got some game, and know how to rock pretty darn hard. This is a recommended listen for everybody, and a must-buy for all diehard metalcore fanatics."