Nodes of Ranvier - The Years to Come (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Addicting

The Iron Summit E-Zine | Arizona | 10/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really love this album, even though I probably shouldn't. There's nothing terribly original or unique about this album at all, but for some reason or another, Nodes Of Ranvier captured the metalcore sound when it was downright fun to listen to. It reminds me of early metalcore from a 5-6 years back as oppose to a lot of the garbage we hear today. The production isn't overpolished (in fact, the vocals are very rough sounding akin to that of Seventh Star or Atreyu from their early days) and the songs don't overstay their welcome. There's a lot more singing this time around that meets somewhere in between the clean vocals of Atreyu and the Danzig-styled croons of Sinai Beach, but way better. Which is a welcome in the sense that the clean vocals do not sound whiny in the slightest. There's some use of spoken word that feels very akin to that of Lamb Of God. Musically, there's less of a hardcore influence and much more of a metal influence. Lots of gothenburg style riffing, chugging, and pinch harmonics. The drumming is neither here nor there, but what the overall album lacks in technicality, it makes up for in some great songwriting. The choruses are a 100 times better than your standard fare of metalcore and the heavier parts of the album have enough of a raw feel to appeal to the musical elitist who turn the other way to this style of music. But perhaps whats most surprising, is even though this very much feels like a metalcore record, there's really no emphasis on the "breakdown." The songs chug along at a breakneck speed with lot of energy (sans the track Grave) to really stop for a generic mosh part. On top of that, the slipcase packaging and artwork is really slick looking and all together this is probably my favorite Facedown release of the year. Highlight tracks include the title track, In Too Deep, and Second Hand Syndrome. For fans of early Atreyu, Symphony In Peril, and Sinai Beach."

Great stuff!

Erk | Arkansas | 11/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok. I'm going to think in a different perspective people. Yes Nodes lost their singer and guitar player, but cmon! It's expected their going to sound different.

This album is a can of whoop butt waiting to happen. The new vocalist I think is great. Better than Sinai Beaches new vocalist. And the music has changed without regret. Yes their previous album(s) sounded way different and more "hardcore", but you know, this stuff sounds great. It's metal, so I'm happy.

Some stuff sounds the same as the other songs when you get to the end of the album, but it's still awesome. This album is full of anger. I went to their show and they are the nicest guys I've ever met. I even hugged the guitar player. Haha. They are incredible live. And they even played "Faith In the Faux" with the new vocalist!! OH NO!! and let me tell you, it sounded great!

Don't underestimate a new Nodes people. They still sound awesome. And if you have their previous albums and expect this to sound the same, you're going to very disappointed or very wrong. At the show I bought this and thier selftitled release, expecting change.

So eat what I said up and swallow it. And if it digests properly, then this album is for you. If you puke it up or have diarreah(sp?) then it's not for you.... nice way of puttin it right?

GOD BLESS"

Nodes Is Still Good

Dustin | Chattanooga TN | 04/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Honestly When i First heard this album i wasnt too fond of it then i started listening to it more and more and it grew on me sure its hard adjusting with a new lead singer and a couple other people missing but its still the same band i went and saw them at a show last night and WAS NOT dissapointed in any way they played about for songs off this album and four off the self-titled and did a great job with faith in the faux and everyone went nuts when they played Don't Blink (or we may missit) everyone sang and i jumped on stage and sang the last part with nick best show ever i met the guys afterwards they are all VERY nice geve me hugs and stuff signed a couple things so i wouldnt judge them on a cd GO SEE THEM LIVE!!!!!!! for sure"

It's Different, But Not Necessarily Bad

LeftManOut | TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL | 04/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Years To Come" the latest effort from Facedown records alum Nodes of Ranvier is going to be a difficult adjustment for previous fans of the band at first. Considering that 3/5 of the band who made the last album (the self-titled) are no longer with NOR it's to be expected. But in reality many have come down pretty harshly on this disc. In fact "The Years To Come" is actually a nice stepping stone in the progression the band's style which has been growing and expanding since their "Lost Senses More Innocence" release in 2002. Those who have written this record off immediately might do a little better to give it a few more spins and let it take it's time to grow on you. If you do I'm sure you'll find a solid release from a great band, that even though it's different, doesn't fall flat on its face.

Well in relation to the previous effort (the excellent Self-Titled), "The Years To Come" sees a lot more metal influence. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Check out pieces like "Relentless" and "Predisposed" and try to make a claim that Nodes has lost their edge. It's not easy. There's some Gothenburg riffing here and there, but a lot of the album reminds me of the glory days of 80's thrash. Nice. While more melody has crept into their music, it's also not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all. In fact two of the strongest tracks, "The Dawning Age" and "Glass Half Nothing", have great melodic sing-along style choruses. The melody though is not overdone like most bands who tend to use it though, and in fact fits very well with the music. While most melodic metal/hardcore bands today tend to take the whiny emo clean singing approach, NOR has a very nice rock feel to their sound. The biggest adjustment for fans though might be the new vocalist Nick however. To tell the truth though, he's not really as bad as everyone is making him out to be. Sure his voice is different from Thomas, but Nick can definitely hold his own on tracks like "What Goes Around..." and "Second Hand Syndrome". It will take a few listens to get used to, but his voice is a great fit for Nodes music, and I'm personally glad they found someone suitable to fill Thomas' shoes.

Nodes Of Ranvier are still holding strong as "The Years To Come" proves, despite the fact that much of the band responsible for their last two efforts is gone. While it's not necessarily a ground-breaking record (but in the music world today there's not many of those albums popping up) TYTC has a lot of potential is still a great and entertaining listen all the way through. Now don't get me wrong, I still love both of the previous releases, and compared to either of them this one doesn't match up nearly as strong, but this cd deserves a lot more credit than it's getting. There's going to some buffer time needed to adjust to the new sound, but in the end the music is good and that's what makes this record worth listening to. Don't get caught up in the hype of the negativity this record is getting until you listen for yourself. If you do, I think you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Congrats Nodes, Job well done."

What's Wrong With You People?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LeftManOut | 01/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Why do you think this album is so Terrible? It's Much better than their old stuff, and who can't like the single Glass Half Nothing? This is one of the best hardcore bands along with No Innocent Victim, xLooking Forwardx, Project 86, Underoath, Haste The Day, and Chasing Victory. If you want to buy this CD don't listen to the other reviews, they don't know what they are talking about."

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