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Palisades

Mind Games

Written by: PP on 02/03/2015 00:23:57

Even though Rise Records have undergone tremendous efforts recently in signing quality bands to rid themselves of their reputation as the record label that puts out absolutely awful trash with dollar signs in their eyes, there are still some bands left on their roster that make it very difficult to take the label's other releases seriously. One of these is Palisades, who have apparently viewed the ridiculous Harlem Shake video one too many times for their own good. Basically, imagine the god-awful electronic effect manipulation used in that song, pasted across breakdowns, cookie-cutter screams, and general copy/paste architecture songwriting wise for pretty much the entire duration of their sophomore album "Mind Games".

Needless to say, the result is horrific. The amount of shameless trend hugging present is unbelievable. From preposterous electronic elements to awful hip hop sections that feel completely misplaced, the pop-driven metalcore / post-hardcore delivered by Palisades here is the very definition of tasteless. The clean vocals make some sections relatively catchy - see the pop-oriented chorus of "Like A Drug" that basically sounds as pretentious as the latest Fall Out Boy album - but it doesn't do enough to distract from the fact that these songs are horribly put together. The sound is awful, the electronics lack taste, the catchy choruses unbearable in their annoyance level, and the screamed and growled sections predictable and frankly nothing you should be listening to with so many other better bands out there.

The interesting thing is that Palisades didn't use to be this bad. Part of that reason is that they were never as outrageous as they are on "Mind Games". Here, they've taken their previous EP and debut album, and overblown everything out of proportion. Their new found soundscape is not only pompous and unnecessarily theatrical, it is also an attack on good taste and what should be acceptable to put out these days. Needless to say, if you like this album, you have poor taste in music and deserve to feel offended by that statement. You probably say things like 'YOLO' and wear neon coloured clothing, too.

Download: No Chaser, Like A Drug
For the fans of: Attack Attack!; Woe, Is Me; Eskimo Callboy; Famous Last Words; Issues
Listen: Facebook

Release date 13.01.2015
Rise Records