Still Remains – Of Love and Lunacy
Website: Still Remains Official Site
Still Remains have played with and been influenced by: Poison the Well, As I Lay Dying, Every Time I Die, Haste the Day, Atreyu, Zao and Soilwork. Sounds like: A7X, Shadows Fall, Lacuna Coil, Unearth, In Flames, Killswitch Engage, P.O.D. and Faith No More. So might it come as a surprise to find the members of this band are heavily influenced by their religion?
There is a weaving thread of conceptual similarities in the tracks on this album. But it is not a “concept album”. The lyrical content is substantially based on inner conflicts and self discovery, despair, fear, love, hope, rebirth, and the connection of religion in their lives. Explains singer T.J. Miller, “When I was writing this album I was going through phases of happiness and severe hurting. I wrote what I was feeling and the words love and lunacy best represents those emotions.”
We should all be grateful for musicians who challenge us with their meanings and force us to relate what the songs mean to us.
Highlights/Take Note:
– T.J. has the vocal diversity of very few in the genre. He will make you bow down to his mastery of everything from New York to west coast stylings of hardcore, to contemporary screemo, to new school metal howls and old school death metal growls, and even the guilty satisfaction of well placed harmonies.
– Jordan, Evan, Mike, and A.J. have my vote for the best pulse pounding breakdowns of recent memory by new schoolers. Not to mention an experienced cohesiveness throughout.
– Zach has brought a subtle, but incredibly effective, use of keyboards into the mix adding a refreshing feel of depth and atmosphere to this dynamic album. Come on, pianos in metalcore are the best thing since the double kick!
Disappointments: Though always a point of contention amongst aggressive music fans, a cover song on this release would have been great. With all of the depth, passion, and creativity oozing from these guys, it would be great to see some of that ooze drip onto someone else’s work. I guess this just adds to the anticipation of future material.
