Context – wasting time

I used to talk shit on Every Time I Die because the singer indulged in clean singing and I was too HXC at the time to bother with that shit.  I would like to take this moment to apologize to anyone I spit that nonsense to, because Every Time I Die rules.

They. Fucking. Rool. Dood.

One of the only metal bands who has managed to stay consistently on message over a career that has spanned almost two at this point, Every Time I Die doesn’t disappoint with From Parts Unknown.  I don’t know why I thought they would, especially considering that Low Teens was one of my favorite albums of last year, but after the disappointing turns bands like Norma Jean, The Number 12 Looks Like You, and Bring Me the Horizon took, I’m always approaching a metal album I haven’t heard yet with a healthy amount of trepidation.

I get that metal is a young man’s game.  I get that a lot of sub-genres of metal are reductive and must get old after 2-4 albums.  I get that artists want to grow and experiment and break labels that they may not identify with anymore (see also: yesterday’s discussion of Brand New).  But I come to metal for a specific thing, and it’s not broad pseudo ambiance with an 808 kick and soaring vocals.  I want something hard, fast, sometimes sludgy, sometimes grimy, sometimes smooth, always demanding my attention and daring me to disrespect them.

And for better or worse, Every Time I Die has yet to fail to deliver these specific qualities.  Some people have critiqued them as not evolving enough, for putting out “just another ETID album.”  They work like The Offspring that way–you can buy any Offspring album from any point in their career and get the exact same thing.  And if that specific sound is your thing, you’ll never be let down.

Every Time I Die does that specific thing for me, although I would argue they’ve been subtly growing and diversifying their sound over the years.  Low Teens does not sound the same as Gutter Phenomenon, but it seems that whenever the decision to stay Every Time I Die or experiment more aggressively with their sound is on the table, Every Time I Die choose to be themselves.

This unwavering integrity to what makes them great is, well, what makes them great.  I’d like to think that rather than give into the metalcore trap of trying to add atmosphere to your sound as a way of proving they’re “more than just a metal band,” whatever that means, Every Time I Die would just have a party and set some shit on fire.

Keep riding on into the night, good fellows.  Thank you for always being on fucking point.