shattering| Posted July 24, 2007
Watch Me Bleed" leads off the CD, with an abrasiveness that wakes up the listener and directs them to a well-crafted song, setting the stage both musically and lyrically for what the next 30 minutes will have in store. The priorities of the band are laid bare with an aggressive, growling vocal delivery coupled with melodic hooks. "Alone Tonight" begins with a child singing a Sunday school classic "Jesus Loves Me", but quickly becomes something few blue-haired church teachers would tolerate, appealing more to younger blue-haired generations. On the third track "Crimson Stains", the brutality of Good Friday is recognized through a contemporary take on the prophetic words of ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Israel's Isaiah "With your stains you have given us life". Here Tom's vocal delivery is most reminiscent of Project 86's Andrew Schwab. "Beautiful Tragedy" is the most derivative of the song offerings, though impressive on its own. The vocal trade off, though present on most all songs on Shattering Doors..., is most similar to Underoath here, the guitar riff makes one wonder if the band was listening to Ozzy on the way to the studio (are the similarities a homage or a crutch?). With that being said, the song rocks, and is one of my favorites on the EP! "Dethroned" ends with recognition on selflessness, declaring "my kingdom is so vacant", possibly setting one up to surrender to a new king. The closing cut displays Everyday Dying's tender side, with an 11 minute acoustic track. Epic as it is, and I am sure it's impressive live, it should have been edited down.
to add lyrics if not listed.
