Rating: 8.5/10. Good to blast in your car and bang your head to.
With the recent departure of Alex Good and Christian Royer from the band along with the announcement of a new album at the beginning of the year, I was very interested to see what this band would come up with on ‘Bloodwork’. When I received the email to do a review on the album, I decided to take it with me during a round of Frisbee golf at a local park to give it a listen.
People in the park probably thought I was nuts, cause this album knows how to get you going.
The first track ‘Broken Soul’ really set the tone for what to expect from this album. The last 3 albums have really characterized the band’s sound but almost seemed to copy general riffs and lyrical structures from one track to the next. This first track was not in any way anything they’ve done before. If the first 30 seconds didn’t catch your metal ear, then metalcore is not a genre for you.
Texas In July really went back to what I call “The Golden Age” of metalcore music and tweaked it with their trademark style. I could listen to songs like ‘Pseudo Self’ and ‘The Void’ and remember why this genre filled my life 5 – 7 years ago.
The thing that really struck me though was their guitar structure throughout each song. I went into the album expecting breakdown after breakdown for 30-40 minutes, but that totally wasn’t the case. I don’t know if it was the addition Cam Welsh or not, but the technical ability of this band has increased tenfold. All the sudden, now I’m hearing more driving riffs, catchy lead structures, and textured guitar solos. Being a guitarist myself, I was pleasantly surprised to be hearing something new from this band in the riff department.
Adam Gray never ceases to surprise me on what he can come up with rhythmically. A few years ago, I remember reading comments on some of his YouTube videos for being a ‘Matt Greiner copycat’. Personally, I’ve viewed Gray as the superior drummer. The instrumental interlude ‘Decamilli’ set that fact in stone for me. With 2 minutes of skill sets from Gray and another solo from Welsh, they that they’re not any sort of copycats on anything, but a series of talented musicians that just so happen to make kick-ass music.
J.T. Cavey gave the instrumentally good album a lot of spice. I use to listen to this band soley because I thought their drummer was a beast. I never really cared for the vocals on Alex Good. Cavey brings in a bit of a more of a heavier element than Good did, and it works out splendidly. I don’t think a song like ‘Nooses’ on the album would have worked if not for the emotional element that Cavey brings.
Final Review: ‘Bloodwork’ really gives a shining example of technical metalcore. If you’re looking for a good album that’s not “chug chug chug” every minute or so, this would be right up your alley. The band really put a lot of work into straying away from what they did in and made a really impressive record. This is the heaviest I’ve ever heard this band in the past their past 3 studio albums 7 years. A good jam to get the day going, but may be a difficult album to listen to multiple times in a row. If metalcore is your preferred style of music, then this record is for you.
Texas In July is set to release their 4th studio album on September 16th, titled ‘Bloodwork’. Since their formation in 2007, the metalcore band has had 3 prior releases: ‘I Am’, ‘One Reality’, and ‘Texas In July’.
Pre-order on iTunes or MerchNow!
[amazonjs asin=”B00M856D3I” locale=”US” title=”Bloodwork”]
For more info on Texas In July, visit:
www.texasinjuly.com
facebook.com/texasinjulyband
twitter.com/texasinjulyband
instagram.com/texasinjulyband
Band Members:
J.T. Cavey – Vocals
Cam Welsh – Guitar
Chris Davis – Guitar
Ben Witkowski – Bass
Adam Gray – Drums
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