Artist: The Color Morale
Album: My Devil In Your Eyes
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Rise
March 2011 brings us the second release from Illinois five piece The Color Morale. My Devil in Your Eyes is the follow up to 2010’s We All Have Demons. Considering this is the second release from this band in less than twelve months- We All Have Demons was released in March of last year- it may have been assumed that this album would consist of second rate work or B-sides. Luckily for The Color Morale this is not the case. The opener, “Nerve Endings,” builds from the quiet guitar line and faint drums into a pounding rhythm, generally setting the tone for the whole album which is fierce and fast.
While being a definite step forward for this band, someone who is not a massive fan of post-hardcore, like myself, could find this album monotonous. However, after a few listens, Garret Rapp’s vocals help define this album from what could be classified as an over-saturated genre. His delivery has a sense of urgency, while not losing the melody that the rest of the band fleshes out. The intermittent softer vocals add another angle to the album that would be beneficial for introducing newer listeners to the band.
“The Dying Hymn”- a song with a definite biting edge to it despite the survivor lyrical content- and the two final tracks “This Lost Song is Yours” and “Fill; Avoid” are definite stand out tracks. “The Dying Hymn” is more in keeping with the overall tone of My Devil in Your Eyes, the angst in Rapp’s voice definitely mirrored by the rest of the bands playing, especially that of drummer Steve Carey. “This Lost Song is Yours” is a personal highlight, the guitar work and drums bordering on perfectly in sync and the softer vocals showing a versatility that the rest of the album lacks. With closer “Fill; Avoid”- a much more experimental and melodic song- a different side of the band is shown once again, one which is reminiscent of UnderOATH’s earlier work.
As someone with a generally softer sensibility, I was pleasantly surprised by this effort. The songs are heavy without seeming mindless and noise made for noise’s sake. This, in addition to the solid drumming throughout all ten songs, shows a definite evolution in the band’s sound between both releases. As all of this has occurred in under a year, this is a considerable testament to the band’s work ethic, which if built upon and maintained, could be pivotal to the band’s success.
Score: 7/10
Review written by: Naomi Carson
- 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
- Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
- UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015
‘We All Have Demons’ came out in August 2009 not March 2010
actually it came out in september 2009
The reviewer is actually based overseas, not in the US. Different release dates?
well it was rereleased for rise records