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7 out of 10
Senses Fail have been a dirty word to a lot of musical elite for quite some time now, and although some of the time it's justified (cringeworthy lyrics being the usual cause of shame), hopefully with "Life Is Not A Waiting Room" they can wipe the slate clean and prove they're worthy.
I always think of Senses Fail as being a young band, finding their feet, but in reality they're quite the opposite. If you look at the current scene there's so many young new bands that have caught the media attention and are being heralded as the new best thing and having their moment in the spotlight, but Senses Fail have been around since 2002, so that's a full 6 years ago now. Lasting through quite a few line-up changes (Dave Miller, James Gill and Mike Glita are all no longer part of the band) including the addition of Heath Saraceno, formerly of the awesome band Midtown, the band has soldiered on putting out solid albums to little real fanfare all the while continuing steadfastly with an applaudable resolve.
Musically "Life Is Not A Waiting Room" isn't a huge departure from their recognised scream/metal sound but somehow manages to up their game in terms of more melody yet with more power behind their heavier more metal sections. A prime example of this is how the biting track "Wolves At The Door" has a fast guttural pounding feel to it with real energy and raw presence and a shitload going on with ferocious guitars and a storming bass sound from the drums and bass guitar itself which then segues into the far gentler track "Hair Of The Dog". With far more ethereal delayed guitar tones and melodic vocals from lead singer Buddy Nielsen it's about as pop as the band ever gets and somehow it does fit next to such a blistering previous track, which is to the band's testament.
The production by Brian McTernan (Circa Survive, The Bled, Hot Water Music) is absolutely spot on from start to finish, it just has this booming power to it mainly from the guitar sound and really elevates the songs when they need it. On "Four Years" amongst the riffing and melodic singing these slight guitar picking noises drift through, never sounding harsh or too much in the front of the mix, but just teasing through and adding that much needed extra layer of sound.
The album isn't my new favourite CD in the world, the production gets a big 10/10 from me though, I don't see how that could have been bettered for Senses Fail, but on longevity I fear that this CD might not last and that knocks their score down slightly. It's still their best album to date though and long term fans will find a lot to like here.
Listen: www.myspace.com/sensesfail
Tracklist:
1. Fireworks At Dawn
2. Lungs Like Gallows
3. Garden State
4. Family Tradition
5. Wolves At The Door
6. Hair Of The Dog
7. Four Years
8. Ali For Cody
9. Yellow Angels
10. Chandelier
11. Map The Streets
12. Blackout
13. Life Is Not A Waiting Room
14. DB Cooper
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