Confide

Shout The Truth

Written by: TL on 03/12/2008 12:36:23

Another day sees the light of dawn and so does another screamo/post-hardcore band. A Christian one I might add. So it has been of late, and so it is now, nothing new in it, and as the sun casts its fickle rays on this December morning, so does Confide cast the sound of their debut album "Shout The Truth" from my speakers. Originally released back in 05, the album has recently been released on European shores as well, and with it, Confide make an attempt to prove themselves, to stand out from the crowd and to earn a good review and a good grade.

At standing out however, I'm not sure Confide are going to do all that well, not in my ears, nor in anyone else’s. Their sound on "Shout The Truth" is as typical to their genre as can be, with raspy screams, crunchy riffs and melodic passages that predictably owe an equal share to post hardcore pioneers Underoath and Misery Signals. In Confide's interpretation things are even shaved down closer to the bone of such expression, effectively lacking the metalness of Misery Signals and the desperation of Underoath's Aaron Gillespie and his clean vocals. What's left is pseudo-heavy post hardcore that shifts between frantic riffage, simple breakdowns and floating melodies, sung upon by screams that wouldn't seem out of place on an Intohimo release, and by clean not-quite-melodic yells that'll remind you of Spencer Chamberlain (Underoath) at the few moments when he's not sounding like an absolute monster. Through this soundscape the band channels frontman Ross Kenyon's uplifting and faithful outlook on life, at best serving as consolation for the most young and desperate of scenesters, and again fitting nicely within the expectations one would have in a band like Confide.

In the end, there's nothing wrong with what is on "Shout The Truth", the problem lies with what there isn't. The all too typical sound of the band and the limitations laid upon them by only really having two different variations to their vocals, make all the stuff on the album blend together too much. You're listening on the first track "Millstone" as Ross calls "What is the name of God on my lips?!", but afterwards your attention is likely to quickly wander elsewhere, as the songs start to sound more and more the same. Effectively, "Shout The Truth" ends up as the kind of record you may enjoy when it pops up in random rotation, but also as the kind that leaves you with precious little to really remember it for.

6

Download: Millstone
For The Fans Of: Underoath, Intohimo, Akissforjersey, Misery Signals.
Listen: myspace.com/confide

Release Date 17.06.2008
Science Records

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