“Medication” starts things off right with the guitars of vocalist Shane Told, Neil Boshart, and Josh Bradford fading in over some drum fills by Paul Koehler and a little bass line from Billy Hamilton. The verse kicks in with a wicked little punk feel before we get a full taste of Shane’s screams. Previous albums have had him screaming on occasion, but never really let us see what he could do – this track alone changes that. This song is easily one of the heaviest tracks that Silverstein has ever written. “Sacrifice” continues on this much heavier path as Shane leads off with his screams, throwing his cleans into the mix for a great contrast. Clean guitars open the third track “Forget Your Heart” and transition to distorted while Shane lets his singing voice dominate the vocal duties this time. “Intervention” channels the metalcore spirit with its speedy drum work and Told’s screams driving things forward through the verses and his cleans layering over screams for the chorus. This may be my favorite track on their new album, as it mixes old Silverstein with a much harsher edge. Track five slows the pace a little, as “Good Luck With Your Lives” turns down the distortion and turns up the bass for the verses. Even with the chorus at full blast, it has a softer feel to it that breaks things up nicely. “Texas Mickey” picks up the speed again and Shane’s alternation of cleans and screams provides a brilliant juxtaposition of melody and abrasiveness.
As mentioned above, “The Artist” features some guest vocals from Counterparts’ Brendan Murphy. Brendan and Shane work together perfectly on this hardcore infused track. At this point, it’s obvious that Silverstein has embraced a much heavier side of themselves, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a couple throwbacks to their original style. “Burning Hearts” is one such throwback. It really shows that, even when playing their old style, they’ve grown greatly as musicians. “Darling Harbour” is another nod to where these boys got their start. After this walk down memory lane, “Live to Kill” kicks things back to the present. Shane switches up the standard formula, singing on the verses and screaming his way through the chorus. I know I haven’t paid much mind to the guitars on this album, but they have been absolutely spectacular, and this track is no exception. “Replace You” has another great lead guitar intro that fades to the background as Shane comes in for the verse. Simple lead overtones complement this track nicely. “In Memory Of…” closes out the album. It brings the bass up to the front and pairs it with simplistic guitar and drum parts through the verse before the rest of the band really joins in on the chorus. The pairing of simple and soft with a very full sound ties things together perfectly for an album closer.
Silverstein has evolved to a much heavier sound than anything they’ve written so far without sacrificing their signature sound. Throughout the whole album, it felt like I was still listening to a Silverstein album, which is difficult to do. Be sure to pick up Rescue, because it definitely won’t disappoint.
As soon as I found that out, my excitement jumped. I loved how heavy Emery sounded on “Walls” from their debut album and on most of In Shallow Seas We Sail, so hearing them state that this album would be their heaviest to date had me quite hopeful – and Emery did not disappoint.
“The Cheval Glass”, the first single and album opener, kicks things off with a bang. Josh Head’s screams are just as strong as they were the first time I listened to “Walls”. Toby has stepped up to full lead vocalist and he has no trouble filling that slot, in addition to holding some guitar duties. Matt Carter hasn’t lost his touch on the guitar, Head keeps working the keyboards nicely, and Dave Powell does a great job on the drums. Track two is “Scissors”, which continues the pattern of mixing Head’s screams with Toby’s impeccable singing voice. Carter has fallen in line with the heavier sound and is obviously comfortable with it. “Anchors” has a slightly atmospheric opening with Toby singing, soft guitars fading in and out, and Powell hammering away on the toms before the screams layer over the melody for a beautiful contrast. Things appear to slow down a little more with “The Curse of Perfect Days”. Clean guitars paired with Toby’s vocals provide a short diversion from Emery’s newfound sound. It is only a short diversion, as the track kicks into full post-hardcore mode for the duration.
“You Wanted It” might have the heaviest intro Emery has ever written. Discordant guitars, Head’s screams, and pummeling drums hit you hard before Toby’s cleans come back. However, his melodic style vocals pair nicely with the hard-hitting feel of the track. Josh Head’s screams really get a workout on this album, more so than anything they’ve ever written, and “I'm Not Here For Rage I'm Here For Revenge” makes sure to keep him on top of his game. “Daddy’s Little Peach” has a little alt/pop-rock flair to its verses, but the chorus reverts back to their new sound. They continue meshing the alt-rock sound with the post-hardcore with “Addicted to Bad Decisions” for yet another catchy track. The last two tracks on the standard edition slow things down considerably. Both “I Never Got to See the West Coast” and “Fix Me” (which was written by Devin Shelton before he left the band) take on an indie/acoustic form. This transition closes things up nicely for the regular version of the album.
“Crumbling” uses Emery’s full repertoire of tricks to give you a track that is definitely a welcome addition to the album. The second bonus track is just an acoustic version of “The Curse of Perfect Days”, which gives the song a very different atmosphere.
Emery’s newfound heavy sound is more than welcome in my opinion. They’d hinted at it in previous albums and songs, but with their backing by Solid State, we can hope that they keep moving in this style. Be sure to pick up We Do What We Want.
That’s right boys and girls; Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows is a veritable screamo/post-hardcore powerhouse. Often abbreviated “D.R.U.G.S.”, the band wanted a name that would spark some controversy and conversation, and they certainly succeeded. However, we’re not here to discuss names; we’re here for the music. And the music is most definitely worth hearing.
First things first: this album has a parental advisory on it for a reason. The topics and language are not exactly family friendly. Now that the mandatory warning is out of the way, let’s start examining this gem. D.R.U.G.S. kick starts with a little work on the snare rim by Aaron Stern (of Matchbox Romance) before the double guitar onslaught of Nick Martin (Underminded) and Matt Good (From First To Last) hit you in the chest with some nice discordant rips on “If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is”. Then Craig’s familiar vocal style makes its appearance. This is where you will determine whether you like this album or not; Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are heavier than Chiodos ever was – they like to throw metal influences all over the place. This band is not your average screamo band. “The Only Thing You Ever Talk About” is up next with some gang vocals before a wonderful little mini-breakdown leads into the verse. A soft synth piece (that sounds like a mix between violins being played pizzicato and a xylophone) shifts nicely up to the guitars playing the same riff, only much heavier. Haunting verses and an insanely catchy chorus will have you singing along to “Graveyard Dancing”. One of my favorites (if only because of the title), “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm” doesn’t waste time as Craig, the guitars, and drums come in simultaneously. Once again, I’m struck by the hooks of this song – you’ll find yourself singing along very quickly, possibly before you’re done the first listen. The controversial “Sex Life” is up next (fans may remember the video Craig released around the middle of January that caused quite a stir). Track six, “Laminated E.T. Animal”, which may be the strangest track name I’ve ever heard, brings us to the halfway point of the album. With a mix of clean and distorted guitars combining with what is either a synthesizer or a xylophone for the verses and a perfect blend of clean vocals layered with screams on the chorus, this song shows just how beautiful contrast can sound when done right.
The second half of the album starts out with a much more metal song than anything on this album so far: “Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups”. Screams and wicked guitars set the pace for this track and never let up. “I’m The Rehab, You’re The Drugs” has a fun little beat, and you realize that you are now on the eighth straight song that you feel compelled to sing along to. Switching gears to something a little poppier, D.R.U.G.S. brings us the 80’s-esque “I’m Here To Take The Sky”. After this brief departure from their standard style, they jump right back on track with “The Hangman”. This brings us to the final song on the standard edition: the heavy-hitting “My Swagger Has A First Name”, which has hooks galore and lasts for about 3 minutes 45 seconds. However, it’s not done after the music stops. If you wait until about 5:40 into the song, you’ll be treated to… well, I don’t know what to call it, but it’s funny.
If you were lucky enough to snag the deluxe edition of this album, you got one more track: “A Little Kiss And Tell”. I wish this song had made the cut for the standard album, because it’s as good, if not better than the rest of the album, and it would certainly fit right in with the rest of D.R.U.G.S.’s debut outing.
Overall, I was both excited and worried when this project was announced. I’ve seen vocalists booted from a band before, and the music (if it can be called that) they created post-expulsion was awful, while the lyrics were so obviously bitter toward the band that it made me sick just listening to it. While this album does have its bitter moments, Craig does a fantastic job of crafting catchy music with incredible lyrics. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows have given us a fantastic album, and I can’t wait to hear more from this supergroup.
