Acceptance

Acceptance: Black Lines To BattlefieldsBlack Lines To Battlefields (2003)
Militia Group

Reviewer Rating: 2

User Rating:

Contributed by: adamAdam
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on July 1st 2003The purchasing habits of the emo crowd simply amazes me. Acceptance, by all accounts, should do very well for themselves. They'll likely sell well, they'll draw decent crowds at shows and will doubtlessly pick up a plush record deal one day soon. I can't deny that they've even put together some dece.

The purchasing habits of the emo crowd simply amazes me. Acceptance, by all accounts, should do very well for themselves. They'll likely sell well, they'll draw decent crowds at shows and will doubtlessly pick up a plush record deal one day soon. I can't deny that they've even put together some decent compositions and harmonies. Their vocalists are (on record) quite powerful and able to carry a tune better than most other nu-emo acts. So what's my problem with this?

It all seems so calculated.

There are moments on this record that are virtually indistinguishable from Jimmy Eat World. Vocally, especially on the second track, vocalist Jason Vena has Jim Adkins pegged. The production here favors the big radio rock guitar sound and velvety smooth vocal harmonizing. It's "Bleed American"-ized to a T. For a band with so much obvious potential and solid skills, there is nothing about this EP that distinguishes it from what we've been bombarded with in the past few years. It's either a calculated bid for success or one of the greatest examples of "right place / right time" I've ever seen.

So taken completely out of context, Acceptance's "Black Lines To Battlefields" is a really strong EP. The band's tight and on songs like "Seeing Is Believing" very catchy and engaging. Even the two live tracks which round off this record ("This Is Only A Test" and "Rerun") manage to keep the momentum up. The album has some interesting drum fills but aside from that reflects a fairly standard alt-rock songwriting approach. These tracks would fit right in on your local modern rock station's playlist.

So in the goldfish-like attention span of the teen-punk record buying public, this is likely a really killer release. To anyone who can remember far off dates like 2001, you've heard this already.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (March 26, 2005)

All I know is they're super nice, and their new cd Phantoms is fricken amazing!

Anonymous (March 11, 2005)

Looks like there on there way. The new CD is AWESOME and the guys in this band are so real and down to earth. I do not know why all these LOW lifes have nothing better to do than try to take them down. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Anonymous (March 11, 2005)

www.purevolume.com/acceptance

Anonymous (January 31, 2005)

I've been following Acceptance since I met Jason in 2002. I knew upon hearing them for the first time that they were destined for success. For those of you posting the really negative stuff, don't you have anything better to do? If you don't like them or what they ALLEGEDLY have done, just ignore them and move on to music you like. They'll no doubt make it far, regardless of your attempts to sabotage them. Trust me... you'll see.

Anonymous (December 8, 2004)

"this band kicked out one of thier members for being gay and then told him things like "god hates you" and "we are keeping your gear and your songs"

The band's name is pretty ironic then...

insipidaspersions (December 7, 2004)

I've seen Acceptance several times live. They put on a good show everytime. And you shouldn't judge a band by its coverart. Rumors give you tumors. The vocals sound nothing like Jimmy Eat World. Jason Vena's voice is more solid and just better in my opinion.

Anonymous (December 1, 2004)

GREAT band, GREAT guys, GREAT music. As far as the drummer thing, GET OVER IT. IT'S OVER, if you new the REAL story, you would know that he walked out on the band after he told them. If I was in a band and all four of the members were GAY and I was NOT, I would leave as well. AND NOT CRY ABOUT IT.. As they say, the more ATTENTION something gets, the BIGGER it gets, and It looks like the band is starting to get ATTENTION, and thats AWESOME.

Anonymous (October 22, 2004)

All of you people that come on here to talk crap need to get a life. You are pathetic.

Anonymous (September 3, 2004)

good band. sure the EP doesnt stand out very much... maybe their new release in Jan. will be better.

and for the person who commented last: do you know they told their ex-drummer things like "god hates you" for a fact?? do you know him personally and heard it from him? i have talked extensively with these guys and i just have a hard time believing they told him shit like that...

Anonymous (August 19, 2004)

this band kicked out one of thier members for being gay and then told him things like "god hates you" and "we are keeping your gear and your songs" they suck. unless you are a hatefull douchebag with bad taste, dont buy this record.

Anonymous (July 12, 2004)

he doesnt sound like jim adkins at all.

and they dont sound like jew at all.

"permanent" is one the best songs ive heard in a while.

Anonymous (October 25, 2003)

Ok...lets just say this dont look at the bad overall score made be all these people if you like EMO you love this band if you like punk you may like this band... but its an awesome cd that should be in your cd player.

Anonymous (August 8, 2003)

how often do these guys tour with onelinedrawing? i just saw them in seattle with Red Tape and Lessicks(i think that's the name) but it was a great show

Anonymous (August 8, 2003)

i agree with that guy Allular, they do remind me of (post-carraba) further seems forever... only live though... listening to the e.p. they didnt all that much, and they do put on a great live show... the singer even jumped into the crowd and got people to start jumping around, and it's a shame they're on a major label now

Anonymous (July 22, 2003)

hahahaha.

yes.

you got me.

i wish i was in acceptance.

but my hair isn't greasy enough and i don't like the clothes they endorse.

and i'm not a fan of warmed-over bullshit that's been manufactured to "maximize unit transitional structures" in their "target demographic".

but i assure you. i'm not a rumor monger. just stating the facts as i see them.

your use of homophobic slurs, however, gives me cause to wonder about your tendencies.

ever been with another man?

mac.

Anonymous (July 14, 2003)

I heard from a very credible source( my uncle's sister's cousin's frend heard it from your mom while he was riding her bareback) that those rotten little boys in acceptance like to grind up dead babies into cambells chicken soup and feed it to the homeless on the streets of Seattle.
Ohhh those terrible, terrible, boys...
who knows what there going to do next. rumors are so much fun everyone should start one. Why don't you fucks stick to listening to whatever "cool" bands it is that you listen to while you pleasure yourself to gay porn instead of writing these awesome rumor filled reviews of this band that you wish you were in.

mac
deathtofalse@yahoo.com
or putyourpenisinmymangina@ithinkiamsosmart.com

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

good lord, who cares about the rumors youve heard. judge the band on their music, not on message board rumors.

anyways, these guys write pretty catchy songs and do it better than many bands. nothing new though, but still, pretty solid material

Anonymous (July 7, 2003)

Acceptance is a GREAT band, Their EP is Sooooooo Awesome. I'm tired of all you people who THINK you know music and judge bands on rumors, their name, cover art, or if they're "emo". please, get a life! you dont like these guys cuz its the "cool" thing to do huh? Fuck all that shit. I know good music when I hear it, and Acceptance is GOOD! Period! Go buy the EP! These guys rock!

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

Jason Vena is a spoiled trust-fund little baby. His daddy bought him all his equipment and that 2002 Audi he drives. He doesnt have a clue.

Anonymous (July 4, 2003)

Fuck acceptance. They're such homophobic tools.

Anonymous (July 3, 2003)

blah blah blah

fuck these homophobes.

take your music somewhere else, where no one can hear it.

do us all a favor and jump off a cliff

Katie4213 (July 3, 2003)

these guys did kick out their drummer because he is gay. but no fear he joined a much better band, the divorce, also from seattle, and is playing guitar for them. as for acceptance, the seem to care more about what they look like on stage than what they sound like. i've seen them a few times in seattle. they had a good sound but noting over the edge, and i found it to be pretty generic. when the roomers were proven true, they had absolutely no appeal to me whatsoever. last night they were at the fireside but i made sure to miss their set before i saw bleu and onelinedrawling. (which were amazing).

Anonymous (July 3, 2003)

how can they call themselves acceptence if they're homophobes?

Anonymous (July 3, 2003)

i was dreading clicking this link, as i figured it'd be some ridiculously laudatory review filled with gushing praise for acceptance and their infinite jackassity.

and sir, i know the bassist of acceptance. he was in a band with some of my closest friends immediately before joining acceptance. i like the guy ok, but i still think he's a fucking homophobe.

because the bottom line is, those WERE the spiritual issues. that's coming from their parents (who attempted to get the big commercial "alternative" station to take acceptance off their blacklist due to their actions against their former drummer by telling the afternoon dj that he was "raping little boys"). that's coming from every credible source i know who is or has been close to that band at any point in time.

you don't HAVE to believe it. you CAN listen to those dirtballs. but they're liars.

i mean, come on. they let sony put them on the militia group for this ep to build "street credibility". they have spent the last six years of their lives retooling the lineup of their band and refining the image to the point where they were "marketable" enough to sign to a major. and now that they have, they apparently aren't showing their ties to corporations (ostensibly to spare the world self-righteous rants such as this one).

fuck acceptance. and fuck anyone who is stupid enough to believe that they are nothing more than scum floating atop the stagnant pool that is the corporate music world.

mac.
deathtofalse@yahoo.com
aim sn: aryan dolemite

kanguy (July 3, 2003)

Notice everyone "heard" about them kicking out the drummer for his sexuality. However if you actually knew them, you'd find out that there were bigger personal differences and his sexuality actually played no part in it. This has been a rumor blown WAY out of proportion.

Anonymous (July 2, 2003)

Ya I heard about them kicking a guy out because of his sexuality. Pretty lame, but what do you expect from a Christian band?

-Martin

Anonymous (July 2, 2003)

wait... you actually said "nu-emo"??? what the hell is that??

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

The cover art kicks ass.

Allular (July 1, 2003)

I saw these guys live with Onelinedrawing and I was expecting a shit sandwich, but they weren't bad at all coming from a Militia Group band. Instead of JEW, I thought of Jason Gleason of Further Seems Forever. Jim Adkins' voice is much more higher ranged and breathy. Anyways, these guys have much more "rock" to them than some other emo shit. I dig it.

funkisdead (July 1, 2003)

wow... militia group is pretty fucking lame. noise ratchet was tolerable, i think... and no one should listen to any newer shades apart stuff. that shit is fucking rank.

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

These are the guys that kicked out their drummer two months ago because he came out of the closet.

Acceptance? I think not, more like "Intolerance"

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

yeah, judging from the cover art (and label) i thought that this was a screamo band. i think this band is really going to mislead some people.

inagreendase

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

i thought this band already signed to a major.

and this only proves that scott's right once again. he said that every band on milita group sounded like a clone of some other band, but he hadn't heard this band, but as said they sound exactly as jimmy eat world sometimes. scott's right once again

- his russian fanclub

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

this record is a piece of shit

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

From the album title and artwork, this should be a hardcore album.

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

I must say that threes nothing i hate more than emo........ But these guys arent all that bad... If they werent marketed as an emo band they couold pass with a cool pop/indie thing going on..... Either way... The cd is good.

Anonymous (July 1, 2003)

I really think this is a good record, but I can remember ;-) ... so I think a lot of people into the "new" emo thing should really go to the record store and check out some Farside,Gameface,Sensefield or older Shades Apart stuff ...