REVIEW: The Color Morale – Know Hope

Artist: The Color Morale
Album: Know Hope
Genre: Post hardcore
Label: Rise Records

The Color Morale have been together and making music since 2005. They have just released their third full length studio album, which is titled Know Hope. They have been known as a Christian hardcore band, though the members themselves state they do not consider themselves a Christian band. Regardless of their beliefs, and regardless of what reasons their fans choose to like them they have been a successful band who has had a strong following since they first released We All Have Demons.

The first thing any fan will notice is the difference in the unclean vocals. They’ve stepped back from having as much heavy unclean vocals and are running with a little less screaming. This is not generally a turn that most post hardcore bands take, but don’t worry Garrett still has plenty of heavy screaming verses to show off.

The album hits the floor running with its first track, “Burn Victims”. This song is a reflection of how the entire album will sound. It’s different, but has some familiarities that fans can happily associate with this heavy-hitting band. This track will leave you longing to know what the rest of the album sounds like, and you won’t be disappointed.

The album is well written lyrically, and each track is chock full of meaning. Could you really expect any less from a band like this? They’ve consistently released well written and well put together music and Know Hope is no different. A shining example of the band’s creative writing skills would be “Saviorself”. Aside from the pun, the lyrics are meaningful and speak to grappling with ones own beliefs.

Great lyrics are not all that hold up an album. Presentation is just as important as the lyrical content. You might not fully appreciate the musicianship that takes place between the guitarists, bassist and drummer at first, but if you take a close listen you will hear the skillful strumming and rhythmic beating of each instrument. “Learned Behavior” highlights some of the more intricate guitar lines.

This is not your typical post hardcore album, nothing about this band or this album fits the mold that is popular amongst many up and coming bands nowadays. There are some fans who might not like the new vocal shift, and honestly it took me a couple of spins to get into the groove of the album. I was skeptical of this release at first as I have not really been a diehard fan but this album proves these guys can really make a memorable record worth listening to over and over again.

SCORE: 8.5/10
Review written by: Kriston McConnell

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