Artist: Adestria
Album: Chapters
Genre: Rock
Label: Artery

Adestria, a slightly lesser-known band, hails from San Diego California. They recently signed to Artery Recordings and up until recently only had their EP Oh The Places You’ll Go available for purchase. I don’t remember how I found them, or when I purchased their EP, but I’ve kept a place for them in my iPod and always made an effort to keep up to date on their day to day happenings.

Needless to say, I was very excited to hear they signed to Artery, and even more so when I found out they were working on an LP with the label. “The Odyssey” was the first single and lyric video to be released off the record, and this is easily one of the best tracks on the entire album. Clever lyrics, very strong unclean vocals and great tracking for the instruments especially the piano playing throughout the song (and most of the album, for that matter).

The first few tracks start off strong, they are heavy, and the clean vocals fit in perfectly with the flow of each of the songs. The first track, “Compromised”, is easily another track that should be noted, I’m not sure there are very many other ways they could have started off their first full length any better. The middle of the record is just as strong, and each track offers their own unique sound, demanding your full attention.

Near the end of the record comes a little bit slower of a track, mostly clean vocals as well. I generally do not find myself preferring to listen to the lighter tracks in a metalcore/hardcore album, they are usually an inconvenient interruption. Not saying I don’t enjoy them, this one is nice and the heavy breakdown at the end definitely makes hearing it out each lap through the record very worth it. “More Than You Know” is an enjoyable track and does not necessarily deserve being skipped while you’re driving in your car.

I’ll admit I’m a little bit a fan of some showboating, and that would be one complaint against this album. As well written and strong as it is, I feel like they could have pushed the envelope with some of these songs just a little bit more. Being a huge step up above from their EP though I can imagine they will have no problem continuing their climb upward into the ranks. I mean, how can you complain about a record that has the lyric “We’ll drown him in his vices, we’ll hang him by his feet.” (“This Ship, A Coffin”).

Finally, we come to the denouement, “Scarlet Letter” was the second single to be released off the record and is the closing track. Featuring Scott Barnes of In Fear And Faith, this is a perfect song to end with. It trails off slowly and quietly, leaving you wanting some more.

Comparing their EP to their new LP, the first thing that comes to mind is that they have cleaned up their vocals and the entire music ensemble. Chapters is its own record that is unique from Oh The Places You’ll Go, but for old fans of the band you can expect to get the same intensity and musicianship. An overall sense of passion resonates throughout the entire record. This will easily one of the best albums of the year in my eyes. The entire album is solid-it’s well written, strong, and put together beautifully. If you are looking for something that’s not cookie cutter and has some tunes you can bang your head to, I highly recommend picking this up.

SCORE: 9/10
Review written by: Kriston McConnell

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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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