Life in Your Way Waking Giants (2007) Solid State

There are a few things you can count on from a Solid State release. The band will somehow be affiliated with hardcore, or “heavy” music, the production will be crystal clear, the packaging will be just as crisp -- featuring photos or artwork that has been through a computer more than once, and the band will thank Jesus somewhere in the liner notes. So rather than dwell on these prerequisites, let’s just say Life in Your Way have put a big fat check next to each one.

Waking Giants shows a Solid State band that are less metal than August Burns Red and less noisy than the the Chariot; in fact, the labelmates they are most sonically related to are Underoath. Their songs move in the same way, shifting dynamics from emo’s smooth veneer to post-hardcore’s jagged edges. They even throw in some metalcore breakdowns and atmospherics for good measure, and in case you haven’t already guessed there is a screamer and a singer.

The problem is that Life in Your Way’s hooks aren’t big enough to catch the kind of audience Underoath is currently enjoying, nor are their chops fat enough to feed a bevy of heavy music fans that thrive on technicality and brutality. What you are left with is a band that wants to be both heavy and melodic, but can’t seem to edge past mediocre status in either.

(Matt Whelihan)