You may remember back at the end of last year, I released my top 15 EPs from 2010, and Ten After Two made that list. They are a 5-piece post-hardcore band out of Sacramento, CA, and I told you to be on the lookout for this band in the future. Their debut full-length on Rise Records Truth Is… is exactly the reason why.
“Yes” starts things off with a bang as Patrick Hennion and Josh Doty let a catchy but heavy little riff fly, backed by Vincent Adorno on drums and Danny Clark on bass. Then we get a taste of Sean Wall’s vocals, and you can already hear that he’s matured his screams from their EP. His cleans have a great tone to them as well, using a style that sounds like a combination of The Word Alive and Senses Fail. “Before You Know It” has a slight progressive bite to it, which is very unusual in this genre and helps these California boys set themselves apart from the plethora of post-hardcore groups on the scene now. “Dead After Dallas” opens with a crushing breakdown and a wicked little lead guitar part layered over Wall’s vocals. The whole song has a heavier feel to it than the first two tracks, but manages to hold on to the melody. Moving to a slightly more down-tempo style, “Satan’s Slumber Party” slows things down and builds on the brutality set forth in the previous track. “Anxious” takes us back to the standard post-hardcore guitar work – a little bit of discord with a whole lot of melody and harmony on the guitars – and Sean Wall’s continued masterful combination of clean vocals.
“Well, Oh Well” keeps things in the post-hardcore vein with a simple rhythm guitar piece and a more complex lead part forming the backdrop for Wall’s vocal onslaught. The title track pulls in some metalcore elements to keep things fresh. Eight tracks in, they switch to the extremely ambient instrumental track “Interlude In D Minor”. Ten After Two throws us a curve ball here as they intro with what sounds like a little pop-punk riff on “The Awe Song”. Fear not, though; it transitions to a much heavier verse and chorus. “A Sight At Sea” gives Adorno a chance to have a little fun on the drums – it leads off the song with a nice fill that is joined by the rest of the band later. “Believe Me” closes out the album in a slightly different fashion. A piano and violin start things off and they build up to bring the rest of the band in, but with a softer edge than the rest of the album. That’s right, my friends, Ten After Two closed their debut album with a ballad, and they did it right.“Yes” starts things off with a bang as Patrick Hennion and Josh Doty let a catchy but heavy little riff fly, backed by Vincent Adorno on drums and Danny Clark on bass. Then we get a taste of Sean Wall’s vocals, and you can already hear that he’s matured his screams from their EP. His cleans have a great tone to them as well, using a style that sounds like a combination of The Word Alive and Senses Fail. “Before You Know It” has a slight progressive bite to it, which is very unusual in this genre and helps these California boys set themselves apart from the plethora of post-hardcore groups on the scene now. “Dead After Dallas” opens with a crushing breakdown and a wicked little lead guitar part layered over Wall’s vocals. The whole song has a heavier feel to it than the first two tracks, but manages to hold on to the melody. Moving to a slightly more down-tempo style, “Satan’s Slumber Party” slows things down and builds on the brutality set forth in the previous track. “Anxious” takes us back to the standard post-hardcore guitar work – a little bit of discord with a whole lot of melody and harmony on the guitars – and Sean Wall’s continued masterful combination of clean vocals.
Ten After Two has only been around for two years, but they’ve managed to attract a good deal of attention – and that attention is completely deserved. Truth Is… is more than worth your time, so check it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment