Artist: Silverstein
Album: Rescue
Genre: Post-hardcore
Label: Hopeless

Though Silverstein have been in the game for longer than most of their modern post-hardcore peers, they’ve continued to make consistently strong records. At the end of 2010, the band released their EP Transitions, a collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks, to eager fans wanting a taste of new material. Two of those songs, “Sacrifice” and “Darling Harbour,” are included on Rescue, but the album offers far more than what is showcased on these tracks.

Rescue kicks off in true Silverstein fashion, with attention-commanding instrumentation on “Medication.” When vocalist Shane Told finally emerges, his voice comes in as clear and strong as his lyrics, “We’ll keep calm and carry on.” “Medication” perfectly balances melodic vocal lines with hard-hitting screams over dynamic song structure. Though the whole band is impressive on this track, there is some especially great work from energetic drummer Paul Koehler.

“Forget Your Heart” is more melodic than “Medication” and “Sacrifice,” at times even fringing on pop-punk. This trend doesn’t last long though, as “Intervention” goes straight for the throat with incredible precision and aggression. From the catchy choruses to the breakdown in the bridge, Silverstein got everything right on this track.

“Texas Mickey” brings Bayside’s Anthony Raneri on board to split vocal duty with Told, and the contrast between the two adds a nice dimension to the song. “The Artist” steers into straight hardcore territory, complete with gang vocals, breakdowns and sweeping guitars. The harder tracks on Rescue are truly the ones that shine, and “The Artist” is a prime example of Silverstein’s versatile musicianship.

Love song “Darling Harbour” is the poppiest song on the record, as Told begs, “Darling, don’t throw it all away. I’m here to make you stay with me.” While it may seem a bit out of place, ultimately, the track offers a closer look at Told’s vulnerability as a lyricist and a new side of the band’s instrumentation. “Live to Kill” and “Replace You” are more classic Silverstein, but closer “In Memory Of…” brings out a slower and heavier sound. The track builds up over time before nicely wrapping up the album with a proggy fade-out.

It may not be a groundbreaking record; everything you hear on Rescue, you’ve probably heard before. Regardless, it does prove that Silverstein still have what it takes to write an intriguing and eclectic record. The band had said that they pushed themselves to write more complicated material this time around, and this hard work is obvious. It’s this ambitious songwriting ability that has allowed them to build a loyal fan base, one that will be undoubtedly be very pleased with this release.

Score: 8/10
Review written by: Rebecca Frank

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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