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Attack! Attack!

Long Road To Nowhere

Written by: PP on 17/12/2013 22:42:21

Now that the crabcore outfit Attack Attack! have broken up, I no longer have to advise alternative rockers Attack! Attack! in every review that they should consider a name change to avoid negative prejudice from incorrect associations. You see, these Britons were actually in existence prior to the ludicrous electronic post-hardcore group, yet their prominence has been more subdued in its nature, so the spotlight was stolen by their more extravagant namesakes from the other side of the pond. That's a shame, because now that they've reached their third album "Long Road To Nowhere", they've also finally matured into songwriters that you should take note of, which was not always the case on their debut and sophomore albums.

Basically, any and all hints of pop punk have been thrown overboard in favour of a high tempo, exceptionally tight alternative rock approach that recalls Lostprophets from their early days, as well as Kids In Glass Houses in some places. Yes, they did exhibit similar behaviour in the past, but it was over a brighter and distinctly more pop punk oriented platform than here, where riffs and slightly strained singing is the driving force going forward. More importantly, they've learned how to write catchy songs in this manner, more so than in the past at least. Their vocalist sings with attitude and passion, and the hooks are well written both vocally and in terms of the guitar melodies, especially during the choruses. While there's still not as much charisma as the best of the best, this is nonetheless a welcome change from the past where it sometimes felt like the band were writing alt rock flavored pop punk tunes aimlessly without a goal in sight.

"Long Road To Nowhere" in contrast is a focused, tight rock album that displays the best in the band's songwriting consistently throughout the album. There are no real bad tracks on the record, and while there aren't any megahits either that'll propel them into international stardom, it's hard to argue against this being a solid album overall. It's just too bad the band has announced this one to be their final album.

Download: All My Life, Cut To The Chase, The Bitter End
For the fans of: Lostprophets, Kids In Glass Houses, Nex
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.04.2013
Self-Released