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DISCLAIMER: The writer of this review has never written a review in his entire life before now. The review is therefore entirely unprofessional and revolves around the subjective tastes of the reviewer with little regard for objective analysis... Probably. It's an EXTREMELY subjective review.
Also keep in mind that not all will have the several extreme listening experiences that the reviewer had listening to this album. There will be unabashed praise, and severe nit-picking to be had.
With that in mind, let's get to it.
dEMOTIONAL -- State: In Denial.
Introduction:
As an introduction for those who haven't heard of this band(and for some reason still reads this), dEMOTIONAL is a swedish band, hailing from, of all places, Gøteborg (are you even surprised?). The band concists of Nils-Petter "Nisse" Nilsson on clean vocals, Christopher Kristensen on harsh vocals, Sebastian Fjordevik and Johan Olofsson on guitars, Kristoffer Lindh on Bass, and Tommy Magnusson on Drums.
This is a band that belongs to what I like to call, for the lack of a better term, the 4th wave of Melodic Death Metal -- which takes the concept presented by the third wave of taking Melodic Death Metal of adding clean vocals, electronics and Metalcore elements to the mix, and takes it in an even more melodic and accessible direction.
A typical dEMOTIONAL song is made of reasonably fast verses with a nice varying alteration between harsh vocals and clean vocals. In essence, they're a perfect band for those who needs something ease them into the world of harsher Metal. Which I can vouch for from personal experience five years ago... with a different but similar band, obviously.
If this sounds like your thing, keep reading. If not, you may as well leave now.
1. Rush. Rush is the opening track on the album and in many ways, a very good indicator of what you're in for when listening to this album. Along with a certain other song on the album, it's pretty much the quint-essential dEMOTIONAL track in many ways, fitting the opening description pretty much to a T. Which unfortunately leaves little left to be said about the song itself.
When Rush was first released as a demo single, I wasn't all that into it. I don't really know what it was, but it was just sort of "meh". That opinion has changed.
Like with several other former demo tracks, Rush has gotten a bit of an overhaul, now sporting additional synth and vocal effects to fill out the blank background space, which just makes it seem a bit more professional. It may also be that the song has grown on me(which tends to happen a lot), but the song, on this album just seems so much more interesting than it did the last time. It's not my favorite track on the album, but it's become a hell of a lot more enjoyable, and a track I won't be skipping.
The nit-pick: Following the second chorus comes... a breakdown. And I really don't like breakdowns. Luckily, it's not that slow, and is over fairly quickly. In addition to that, it's followed up with a really sweet lick, coated in the exact type of guitar-effect that I just simply adore. The type which I've only ever heard in "Break of Day" by Sonic Syndicate and "Reflections" by Mutiny Within. Such a rare treat, and redeems the breakdown at least somewhat. I sincerely hope we'll see more of that in future material.
2. Five Minutes. *Impending gush alert*
Five Minutes is the second track. A track that quickly asserted itself as my favorite track on the album already on the second playthrough. It also happens to be the essential "radio single" of the album, and this is how a radio single from this type of band should be!
This song is a summer-song. Plain and easy. Imagine being on a road-trip with your friends on a sunny day, or driving to the beach. This is the song you'd be listening to. And for once with this kind of band, it's actually really awesome. In fact, this track accomplishes something that past radio singles from these types of bands, including such famous bands as Sonic Syndicate, The Unguided and Amaranthe has not been able to do; Being both exceptionally melodic and accessible, and STILL being hard and fast.
This is the first track on the album with a guitar-solo. One which is very remnescent of 80's inspired Hard Rock bands. In fact, the entire track has a little bit of that vibe to it. Not much, but just enough to be noticable by those that pay attention.
It also features some acoustic guitar-work, both in the intro and a short break within the song, which serves to further set the song apart from the rest of the tracks, and it sounds really nice.
The song also features guest vocals by Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye from Smash Into Pieces. He provides some subtle backing vocals during the verses, and shared duty during the chorus. He also closes the choruses with some nice high vocals, which contribute to the aforementioned 80's and gives me a very The Magnificent-esque vibe. Really neat.
It must also be said that this is also the song with the most notable drum work. Tommy does a nice job in keeping the drumming varied and, by the standards of the album, rather technical and progressive.
All in all, this is a great song. Not only is it fast and fairly heavy, but it's also insanely catchy and melodic. And for even being the most technicly complex song on the album as well, is quite a feat for a radio single to accomplish.
Absolutely awesome, and in my opinion, the perfect candidate for a future music video (wink, wink).
The nit-pick: Nothing. This song is awesome. Period.
3. Tomorrow Is Today. TIT (lol) is another song that was previously released as a demo with a complimentary music video. It was also the very first song I heard by this band. Now normally, that would also make it one of an individual's favorite tracks, but honestly... not for me.
And there is a very simple reason for that. The song lacks a proper chorus. Technicly, the song DOES have a chorus; it's just that what acts as a chorus sounds more like a pre-chorus. It sounds like the part that builds up to the chorus. And when first time listeners listen to this song and expect the chorus to come in, they'll be greeted with... nothing.
This is a shame, because the rest of the song is pretty neat. The verses, and indeed the (pre-) chorus is very remniscent of mid-era Sonic Syndicate, which is the reason I kept checking out the rest of the band's material, in my desperate search to fill the void that SS left behind after their 4th album betrayal.
The song has a sort of quasi-breakdown/solo thing going on as well. It works okay, but doesn't really get me particularly pumped.
In conclution, it's a song that I think had potential to be much more complete than it is. On later songs, I'll be picking on how I think the songs should've stayed more faithful to their demo-versions, but this is one time where I think they could've been a lot less faithful, for the better. I mean it's not like I expected them to create an entire new chorus, but still...
I WILL say, though, that the performing of the last chorus is pretty neat, and a good closer to the track. Easily the best part of the song.
The nit-pick: The song has this thing that I like to call a "hardcore fuck-up". You know that thing that Post-Hardcore bands likes to do where it sounds like they're trying to play a certain part, but they don't have enough skill to play it, and so they just clumsily wiggle their pick and fingers across the strings? Yeah it has that. In the chorus. It wasn't there in the demo version, and it's only a couple notes long, and I can't for the life of me figure out why it's there. Just a minor thing, but it really bugs me.
4. Sleep Is For The Weak. When SIFTW was first released as a demo, I didn't like it. In hindsight, I realize that that reaction was only a product of my expectations of this band being Sonic Syndicate 2.0, based on their previous songs, Alive and Tomorrow Is Today, and so I was disappointed that it had more complex songwriting, both in terms of guitar and vocal-work.
Then it went a few months where I didn't listen to it, and I eventually forgot all about how the song went. Then I listened to it again, and my mind was blown. I love this song. It has the same strength as Five Minutes, in that it is really catchy and at the same time, one of, if not THE fastest song on the album.
The play between Nisse and Christopher's vocals in this song is the most dynamic on the album. Twisting around each other, almost like there's a dance of vocals going on. This is during the verses, yes, with Nisse applying additional harsh vocals (especially in the second verse), but is most previlent during the pre-chorus and the chorus itself, and it's just an absolute joy to listen to. Makes me smile every time.
The chorus itself is of course also incredibly catchy, and is one of the best flowing choruses on the album. The first chorus also segways absolutely perfectly into the second verse. Flawless is the word to describe it.
It also has an awesome lick during the verses, kinda in the same vein as the one in Rush, which I only really noticed JUST NOW, after like a hundred listens. It's so nice to continually notice new thing in your favorite songs, isn't it?
Overall, this song is one of my absolute favorite songs on the album, and fights a tight battle between Five Minutes and a certain other song for the first place.
The nit-pick: There's been changes since the demo-version. During the last chorus, there is a part where the song breaks into a more silent mode, with only synths to back the vocals. In the demo version, there were guitars there, and the part didn't stick out as much. It was also my favorite part of the song.
And while I totally get what they were going for with this, I just prefer the original a lot more. I also think maybe they could've used a better synth than what they did, but that's just my intuition on it. Also, the pronounciation of "train" in the chorus has been altered. In this case, I also prefer the demo-way. Though luckily, that part isn't nearly as distracting.
Still, I must stress neither of these things take away from the fact that the song is still awesome, and one of my favorites.
5. State In Denial. Enter the title track of the album. Having title tracks is a risky business. Logicly, it should be one of the best track on the album. And yet, ironicly, it so often fails to be even that, and in some depressing cases, even being the very worst track on the entire album (*couch* Incomparable *cough*).
So embarking on such a venture brings a lot of pressure and expectations with it. If you decide to do it, you better be sure to do it right. Does dEMOTIONAL succeed in that regard? Well yes, they do.
State In Denial has the most previlent intro on the album, starting out with some atmospheric synth (which is always welcome in my book, so yay for that), proceeding to kick in with a really interesting and different riff, which from the very first instance gives the song a distinct vibe.
The song does what actually quite a few songs on the album does, and go for a "split verse" thing, where one part of the verses are handled primarily by Nisse, and the other part by Christopher. And these verses are catchy, and will get stuck in your head for sure. I can't even count the amount of times I've caught myself singing the opening lines to the song, even if I'm not actually listening to the song at the moment.
The chorus is the only part I have a problem with. It is really catchy. Which is awesome. But there's this part where Nisse does a semi-long note, before continuing into the next lyric, and the transition feels kinda abrupt and unnatural to me. I would've preferred it if he kept the note a bit longer before going on to the next part. The chorus IS really enjoyable regardless. I just feel it would've been even more enjoyable with just a simple tweak.
Overall though, this song is still really enjoyable.
The nit-pick: Aside from the chorus thing... I don't really have anything else to pick on in this track. A very solid track.
6. When She Cries. When She Cries was the first single demo released by this dEMOTIONAL, along with its complementary music video. And I almost never listened to it. I just didn't like it, and whenever it would come on, I would take skip it. With the re-recorded album version, that has completely changed.
When She Cries is one of the more run o' the mill Metalcore songs on the album. This was one of the reason why I didn't like the demo version (though I'll get back to that later). The song is fairly darker than the previous songs, which gives a nice break from the relatively upbeat songs that've come before it. Nisse takes a different approach to the vocals, and goes for a more mid- to low-range vocal style for the choruses, which add to the more somber vibe of the song.
Not that it's THAT somber, mind you. It's still a dEMOTIONAL track, with fast guitars and high Christopher screaming away.
The added production quality has helped this song immensely. Where as the old demo track was like an air-matrass filled halfway up with air, this version is that same matrass, filled entirely up. The main riff playing in the intro that I once thought was completely un-interesting is now one of my favorite moments on the album and the song has gotten a lot of atmospheric background synth, which really help in filling the soundscape.
It's meatier, it's darker, and it's just allaround much more kick-ass, and a good testimony to just how much of a difference production quality and small additions to the soundscape can matter in a song.
The nit-pick: The song IS one of the more straight up "Metalcore" tracks on the album. And usually, that isn't something that really fits my tastes. But really, all the things they've added just makes it work so well that I can't really hold that against it. It may be very Metalcore-ish, but it's just too kick-ass to matter. So I don't really have any nit-pick for this one.
7. Gone. What Modern Metal/4th wave MDM album is complete without a ballad? Very few. So dEMOTIONAL have decided to give us a ballad. And it's not a ballad about relationships, which in itself is a nice change from the norm.
This song is one of the songs I have skipped the most when listening through this album. But not because it's not a good song. Nay, quite the opposite. It's good. In fact, it's almost TOO good.
Where as other bands such as Sonic Syndicate have tended to do ballads with distorted guitars, dEMOTIONAL take a clean approach, which is good. The song is rather melancholic in tone, and it goes well with the subject matter. Where as the lyrics your average relationship-ballad can feel superficial and fake, these lyrics are sincere and genuine, and they will tug on your heartstrings, even if you haven't personally experienced the subject they revolve around.
Nisse does a really good job on his own, and his voice fits the clean/acoustic format really well. I hope they do like many others have done, and do some acoustic versions of their other songs, because I'd really like to hear him do more of this.
Now -- those things are all fine and dandy, and would make for a good ballad all on their own. But the real turning point, and what makes this track so incredibly powerful, is when Christopher takes over.
This is Christopher's greatest moment on the entire album. The part is perfectly tailored to his voice, and could not have been pulled off by anyone else. No one. Combined with a beautiful guitar solo, he takes the song above and beyond, and I nearly break into tears every time I listen to it. It's that powerful.
Some people will probably be divided about the inclution of harsh vocals in a song like this. I know it took me by surprise the first time. But now, I couldn't have imagined this song any other way. This is perfection. One of my all time favorite Metal ballads ever. If not even my very favorite.
8. Sleepless. Pretty much all the songs on State: In Denial hold roughly the same level of heaviness to them. Moderately heavy. Still, if I had to point to the heaviest song on the album, it would be Sleepless.
Sleepless is a song that it took me a few listens to really enjoy. Mostly because while I would indeed point to it as the heaviest, it's ironicly not that much of an ear-catcher. It seems a bit more straight-forward and simple than a lot of their other songs. That is not to say that it's a bad track. Far from it. It is actually one of my more favored tracks on the album.
The song starts out with a clean, almost folky guitar part, before it kicks in with the main-riff. ... And OH, that main riff... This riff is SO sexy, that I have actually caught myself making audible pleasure sounds while listening to it. I am dead serious.
It's not at all an ear-catching intro and riff, and took a few listens to truly appreciate, butnow it is easily my favorite intro on the album.
Both the intro and the entire song in general is accompanied by subtly ambient synth which, just like in When She Cries, really helps to fill out the soundscape and give it that extra push in its degree of kickassery.
There's also a breakdown in the song. But unlike most breakdowns, who only exists for the sole purpose of ruining the pacing of the song and being generally super-lame, this one actually works. It's a relatively fast breakdown that doesn't go too deep or focus on being "heavy", but rather on being something to headbang to. And it is severely headbangable (or in my case, upper-bodybangable). It's also heavily synth-laid, which helps it a lot. In that regard, it is actually quite similar to the breakdown in "När Du Ruttnar Bort" by fellow swedish band Marionette. Which is another one of the very few other breakdowns that I actually like. So good on you, dEMOTIONAL, for doing breakdowns the correct way.
The song ends with a chorus, including some bitchin' effects on Christopher's vocals. Just a neat addition that I felt like pointing out.
All in all, this is a track that went from a "meh" track during the first few listens to becoming one of my favorite tracks on the album.
The nit-pick: Don't have any.
9. Alive. Hoo boy. Alive. The track that made me a fan. What's there to say? This song is just incredibly catchy. It has one of the catchiest verses of any song you'll ever hear, and the chorus is just as catchy. The vocals does the same kind of twisting "vocal dance" as they do in SIFTW, only even more, which makes the verse one of the most accessible on the album. If you're trying to introduce a friend to Metal that includes harsh vocals, this is definetly a song to concider for that purpose.
The calm section towards the end of the song is very satisfying and tightly composed. A little stroke of genious.
Beyond that, I don't really have much else to say. This is the other track that, along with Rush, is pretty much the quint-essential dEMOTIONAL song. And that should pretty much be everything left that's needed to know. Pure and simple catchiness.
The nit-pick: Changes from the demo version. Yes. The pronounciation of "Alive" has been changed. And it kinda pisses me off. I like the old version a lot more in this regard. Also they removed the subtle little synth that also used to play during that part (where Tommy spins his drumstick in the music video). I really liked that synth. WHY?!
On the flip side, there was some synth during the verse of the demo version that I always thought was pretty goofy. It too has been removed, which I thought was nice. So luckily, it's not all doom and gloom.
10. I Tried. This is a song that I feel like I should like more that I actually do. It goes for a bit more mellow approach to both the verse and the chorus. Which is a nice change compared to the usually more energetic songs so far. There's a calm part during the first verse, which is really nice. And the segway from the verse to the chorus is nice. There's a solo that works okay, and the synth is nice and cheesy in a Machinae Supremacy-esque way.
So what's wrong with the song? Well as far as I can tell, it's the chorus. I can't quite put my finger on what the problem is, but it just sounds a bit iffy. There's something to it that is just... off somehow. Also, the end is TEXTBOOK Metalcore. Which is a bit disappointing, and certainly doesn't help the chorus.
Also, despite all the things that are technicly good things in the song, even they fail to really excite me. It's like if there's some sort of curse plaguing the song that just makes it unengaging to me.
Though these are just my weird complaints. I can definetly see other people enjoy this song for what it is. But for me, it just doesn't work very well.
The nit-pick: The synth that opens the song is insanely similar to the music in an old formula 1 game I used to play as a kid. And now I desperately want to figure out what the name of that game was and play it again. Not technicly a bad thing, though. So I should rather put it as my personal highlight of the song.
11. Words Unspoken. And so we finally arrive at the last song on the album.
The vocals follow slightly in the footsteps of I Tried, in that Nisse takes a bit calmer approach to his work. But this time it works much better. This is also the song where his vocals stand out the much. The chorus is written in such a way that when you listen to him sing, you'd swear you were listening to James Hetfield in a Metallica song. It's kinda funny and kinda cool at the same time. And of course, it's really catchy as well.
This track goes for a more Industrial Metal approach to its use of synth, which already sets it apart from the other tracks. I suspect someone will make a remix of it and play it at some club. It would totally work.
It also have a noticable larger amount of instrumental parts. Both of which gives the song a distinct atmosphere and works really well. Especially as the song closes with an instrumental piano section, it nicely wraps up the album. It couldn't have been anything other than the closing track.
And beyond that, there isn't really much to say about this track that hasn't been said about the other songs already. Another enjoyable track, and a nice closer to a great album.
The nit-pick: None.
In conclution:
While not all the songs quite hit the mark, and despite a few minor hiccups here and there, this is still a thuroughly enjoyable album, and leagues beyond several other similar bands. Any fan of Modern Melodic Metal will kick him/herself for not giving it a try. Absolutely recommended.