Artist: Today Forever
Album: Relationshipwrecks
Genre: Alternative Hardcore
Release Date: 6th January 2011
Label: Bastardized Recordings
Album Review
TODAY FOREVER have been around for almost ten years, and age hasn’t caught up with them yet. Their latest offering ‘Relationshipwrecks’ featured plenty of melodic Alternative Hardcore that feels like if a band like KILLSWITCH ENGAGE took out all the clean vocals and just involved the harsh ones, this would be the product. While the album is rather brief (less than half an hour), the music here is very well crafted and possibly TODAY FOREVER’S best offering yet. Just listen to the melodies on ‘Waiting Forever’ and one can really see how much heart this band puts into their music. Other tracks like ‘Lady On The Shore’ are a bit more simple with thick Deathcore inspired chugs and the semi-death growls to go along with the barking rhythms of the shouting that feels like it was inspired from a band like AS I LAY DYING, but even in chuggers like these the guitar layering is very well done and invokes plenty of melody throughout the music. ‘Relationshipwrecks’ also shows the band’s softer side, removing all vocals for a sombre, yet romantically inspiring instrumental that abandons the chug formula and just is pure melody; perhaps this would have stood out better as an intro or outro considering how well it opens or closes the heavier track that follow with ‘Soothe My Soul’.
There are a few guest spots on the album to help round things out as well. Billy Hamilton of SILVERSTEIN along with Scott Wade and Andrew Neufeld of COMEBACK KID lend their vocal talents- both from Hardcore bands themselves- to help with the album. Mostly they add clean vocals- and some have participated before in the past- which somewhat betrays the idea of them being ‘Hardcore’ shouters, but it also adds to the melody that is heaped within ‘Relationshipwrecks.’ At the same time, it somewhat detracts from the TODAY FOREVER’s credibility that in order to include melodic clean vocals to add a more alternative tone of their music, they need to rely on guest spots rather than do it themselves. Without these guests, the album might have been a bit more blandish or far too similar to their last effort, ‘Profound Measures’. Still, compared to the more generic “chug” focused Hardcore based sound, or the mix of Screamo and singing that some call Hardcore, the music on ‘Relationshipwrecks’ is innovative, inspiring, and melodically charged to get fans into it. The only downside is its length; usually listeners like to hear an album that is a bit longer than half an hour. For a pummelling, crushing Grindcore album, this is fine, but TODAY FOREVER is more melodic and mid paced and can allow themselves a bit more length.
Tracklist
01. Sovereign (feat. Billy Hamilton) - 2:49
02. Lady On The Shore - 2:27
03. Dynamics (feat. Scott Wade) - 2:28
04. Good Weekend - 2:26
05. Waiting Forever - 1:55
06. Boreout - 3:29
07. The Trial (feat. Andrew Neufeld) - 2:58
08. Stop Boring Us - 1:58
09. Relationshipwrecks - 1:45
10. Soothe My Soul - 2:21
11. Dancing Queen - 2:29
12. Thirtysomething - 2:51
Line-up
Christian Besteck – vocals
David Gloeckner – guitar
Manuel Otto – guitar
Marco Engelhardt – bass
Tim Schuetz – drums
Website
http://www.todayforever.net/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 7
Total: 7.5 / 10
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