April 4th, 2013 
Adrian Garza 
Artist: Tear Out The Heart
Album: Violence
Genre: Post-hardcore
Label: Victory Records
Tear Out The Heart have only been a band for nearly two years, but in that time they’ve managed to self release an EP and land a recording contract with Victory Records. This brings us to the here and now – the metalcore quintet has created and released their full length debut, Violence. Now while we know Violence might not be the most creative or thought provoking title for a metalcore record, it certainly lines up with the album theme, sonically and lyrically.
One of the main “marketing points” of the record is the production, which was handled by none other than Caleb Shomo, the vocalist of Beartooth, and ex-vocalist of Attack Attack!. It’s easy to hear Shomo’s influence in this band’s work, whether that’s a result from them taking a page or two from his past work, or because of the creative direction provided from behind the soundboard.
Starting things off, “Dead By Dawn” gives the listener a broad look of what’s to come: riffage, breakdowns, growls, forceful clean vocals, and poppy segments that maintain a level of toughness. Spoiler alert: there isn’t much differentiation to follow this at all.
Two tracks from the record include guest vocals from Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo and Story Of The Year’s Dan Marsala, appearing in their respective order on “Undead Anthem” and “Coffin Eyes.” The former doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the latter, mostly because Shomo’s voice doesn’t add much into the track. “Coffin Eyes” on the other hand sees Marsala singing this soaring chorus all over the place in a fitting yet distinctive style.
The most unique song on the record doesn’t pop up until the end. “Closure” takes on this ambient feel, straying from much of the album’s fast and frantic vibe, and with introspective and reflective lyrics to complement the instrumental side, the most memorable track of the record is made whole.
Once Violence reaches its close at “Darker Tides,” things take on more of a positive and optimistic tone. Most of the track uses this “back and forth” dynamic where bass player/clean vocalist Isaac Etter and vocalist Tyler Konersman trade-off between Etter’s choruses and Konersman’s verses in a typical post-hardcore fashion, although it is done pretty well in this specific case.
At this point in time, Tear Out The Heart’s genre is an extremely dry place where few bands are capable of providing anything new to the table. Save for a few interesting bits and pieces, there is nothing truly original about Violence, musically. However, lyrically, there are some hints of hope for better days. To fans of anything AA!-related, this might be worth checking out, but to casual fans of the genre, it is likely something to be left untouched.
Rating: 7/10
Reviewed by: Adrian Garza (Twitter)
- Substances, death, and purpose fueled Culture Abuse for their most imaginative release yet - April 15, 2016
- UTG PREMIERE: The Go Ahead – “Closer” (Nine Inch Nails Cover) - April 6, 2016
- UTG’s 31 Days Of Halloween: ‘Rubber’ - October 21, 2015
Posted in 
Tags: 