REVIEW: Into The Flood – Vices | Under the Gun Review

REVIEW: Into The Flood – Vices

June 12th, 2013

Adrian Garza

ARTIST: Into The Flood
ALBUM: Vices
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Century Media Records

When I hear news about a relatively young band with little to no national buzz surrounding them getting picked up by a label as big as Century Media Records, it leaves me wondering just what the hype is all about. Sometimes, there can be a stereotypical gimmick involved, and other times it’s something as plain and simple as the said big label preying on an unlucky group of fame-seeking musicians who made the wrong decision of signing to the wrong label. Fortunately, neither is the case with Into The Flood, a band that takes a straightforward, no-BS approach with their debut full length release, Vices.

Immediately into starting the record, “Vices” introduces this epic, melancholy feel that’s carried throughout the entire album. Full of aggression, hopeful storytelling lyrics, riffage for days, and mosh-heavy breakdowns, there’s a little bit of something for everybody. Thankfully for those who need tempo changes to keep themselves interested in what’s happening, things are never full-throttle the entire way through.

While always considering myself as the sort of person that will try avoid saying things like “this band would be nothing without their…” or “I only listen to them for their…,” I’m slowly starting to look the other way based off of what I’ve heard with this album. It’s not so much that the instrumental members of the band are “bad” in any way, it’s really that Brendan Wilson has such a spectacular vocal range that he simple outshines everyone else. Tracks like the album’s first full song, “The Destroyer” showcase the shrillness that he’s capable of, and on the flip side, “Your Judgment Is What Condemns You” presents some of the most guttural lows that I’ve heard in a while.

At the end of it all, this northwest metalcore group leaves us with an album that will surely click with diehard fans of this genre whether or not they are Christian. While there are plenty of repetitive moments that are admittedly stereotypical for most rising bands out this genre, and there may be close to nothing here that completely blows expectations, Vices reveals a five-piece that are perfectly capable of competing with the best of today’s modern metalcore giants.

Rating: 7.25/10
Reviewed by: Adrian Garza (Twitter)