Begin Again
Pavement Entertaniment, Inc.
When Californian outfit Atreyu launched themselves onto
the scene with their debut full-length effort ‘Suicide Notes And Butterfly
Kisses’ in 2002, they had already developed a sound and style that was well
established and recognisable within the metalcore scene. Their follow-up releases
‘The Curse’ (2004) and ‘A Death-Grip On Yesterday’ (2006) further established
the band as a force to be reckoned with. But by the time they released their
fourth full-length effort ‘Lead Sails Paper Anchor’ (2007), something within
the band’s sound had changed, and their fan base were left confused by the
band’s experimentation with a broader melodic sound and the stripping back of
their familiar metalcore sound. And while 2009’s ‘Congregation Of The Damned’
did see a return to form in the eyes of some, it wasn’t enough to hold the band
intact, with Atreyu deciding to go into an indefinite hiatus in early 2011.
Without wasting any time, drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller
set about getting a new group off the ground, and with the addition of guitarists
Matt Pauling (Ex-The Confession), Neal Tiemann (Midwest Kings/David Cook),
bassist Joey Bradford (Thieves And Liars) and drummer Kyle Peek (Midwest
Kings/David Cook), The Black Cloud Collective was founded.
Within a year of being together, the band (Who had changed
their name to Hell Or Highwater in May 2011) would release their debut
full-length effort ‘Begin Again’ in August 2011, which despite its limited
exposure (The album was released independently), was received well from fans.
One year on, and Pavement Entertaniment, Inc. have
decided to give the album another shot by giving ‘Begin Again’ a well overdue
worldwide re-release - in expanded form.
Anyone familiar with Atreyu’s last couple of albums will
no doubt be familiar with what Saller delivers in Hell Or Highwater on the
vocal front. His clean vocal efforts are fully explored here now that he’s
taken on the front man role, and it’s a role that he truly excels in. But in
terms of musical direction, Hell Or Highwater is something completely different
from Atreyu – and not in a bad way either.
The opening track ‘Gimme Love’ is a good indication of
what Hell Or Highwater has to offer for most of the album. And what we’re
talking about here is modern hard rock, complete with huge distinctive
choruses, a touch of punk rock in places (Namely the gang vocals and short
guitar solos) and Saller’s infectious vocals that successfully bind it
altogether. The bottom line is that while this track isn’t anything remotely
challenging in terms of hard rock, it’s so damn infectious and likeable that
it’s hard not to be impressed at just how enjoyable the song is.
‘Hail Mary!’ is a stand out with its harder edge and
distinctive slide guitar work, while ‘Terrorized In The Night’ brings to mind
Avenged Sevenfold in places, but stands apart enough to earn its praise. Also
worthy of a mention is the guitar solo, which is every bit as memorable as the
choruses throughout the song.
The semi-ballad ‘Tragedy’ is a well crafted tune that
allows the band to think outside the box a little by adding a little more
theatrics into their hard rock sound, while on ‘Go Alone’, M. Shadows of
Avenged Sevenfold fame lends his voice to what can only be described as an
awesome hybrid psychobilly/country classic.
In terms of personal favourites, I find it hard to go
past ‘Rock Waters Edge’. Saller’s vocals really shine on this track, and the
minimalistic music approach works a charm. The follow up track ‘When The
Morning Comes’ doesn’t stray too far direction wise from the former, and not
surprisingly is a firm second favourite.
In terms of heavier sounds, ‘Crash & Burn’ and the
Foo Fighters sounding ‘Come Alive’ are great songs and sure to go down a storm
on the live front, while ‘We All Wanna Go Home’ is a suitably anthem-like
closer with its gang vocal choruses and building choruses.
The only song that really didn’t hit the mark is ‘Find
The Time To Breath’. But given it’s the only filler on the eleven track album,
the slip can be forgiven.
As mentioned earlier, this re-release is an expanded
edition of the original album, with the first bonus track being the ‘Villain
Remix’ of ‘Tragedy’. Although interesting, it’s not exactly the sort of track
I’d return to time and time again.
Fortunately, the band’s cover of
the Simon & Garfunkel 1969 classic ‘The Boxer’ is a worthy addition to the
album. The final track ‘Pretty Penny’ is also a cool bonus track, but if the truth be told, the recording is clearly below the standard
of the rest of the album, which isn’t likely to do the song any favours.
If you liked the clean vocal sounds of
Saller within Atreyu, but couldn’t get into the band’s metalcore sound, then
Hell Or Highwater’s debut comes highly recommended. If on the other hand you
were a fan of Atreyu, and were hoping for more of the same thing on ‘Begin
Again’, then prepare to be surprised, and ultimately disappointed.
For more information on Hell Or Highwater, check out - http://www.hellorhighwaterofficial.com/.
© Justin Donnelly.
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