Across Five Aprils

Across Five Aprils: Living In The MomentLiving In The Moment (2004)
Indianola Records

Reviewer Rating: 3

User Rating:

Contributed by: greg0rbgreg0rb
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on January 14th 2005Add another day/month/season-named band to the list. Fortunately, these guys didn't make me want to rip my ears off like a lot of those bands do. And guess what - they're not from New Jersey OR California, they are from a state I have never mentioned previously in a review: Tennessee. From Chatt.

Add another day/month/season-named band to the list. Fortunately, these guys didn't make me want to rip my ears off like a lot of those bands do. And guess what - they're not from New Jersey OR California, they are from a state I have never mentioned previously in a review: Tennessee.

From Chattanooga, to be exact, Across Five Aprils brings to the table tight Thrice-style riffs mixed with Coalesce screams and harsh breakdowns. Thrice popularized the bipolar metal-one-minute-pop-the-next style, and these guys could easily pass for Thrice to the untrained ear, because their skills are obviously high and their melodies catchy enough. However, they throw in many more chugga-chugga breakdowns, usually complete with Ingram-style growling. Their breakdowns are convincing and raw at first, but when you realize the band forces their way to a breakdown in every song, it feels a bit tacked on. However, we have a solid four songs here. Too bad it's a five song EP.

The opener "Saving Seats" has a pretty rad breakdown, and a poppier more "emo" section at the end, repeating "stay away from me," and it works well. Sometimes I start to hear Story Of The Year in here, but there could be worse things. "Moon-lit Sunrise" is another strong track with a driving beat that slows to breakdown sections, then seamlessly flows back into the original tempo. The end also has some sweet double bass drumming that is not just the constant machine gun double bass that anyone can do.

But as you may have guessed, they put an acoustic track on here. Why bands insist on doing this is beyond me. If you're going to try and show your versatility, a downtempo number is fine, but acoustic guitars and this kind of music do not mix well; it sounds like an entirely different band. "Through The Pane" is for sure the weak link of the EP, but thankfully it is not just the singer whining over a lone acoustic guitar, as it has drums and a couple layers of guitars, acoustic and light electric. Still, it's pretty lame.

The other four tracks are musically sound and well-written, with convincing energy and drive, kinda difficult to tell apart, but not bad. These Thrice sound-a-likes definitely have the skills, so if you're into this style check out Across Five Aprils.

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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.

allon (November 2, 2007)

This is an identity crisis if i ever saw one, what a bland transition from A Tragedy In Progress. From generic hardcore to generic screamo/rock. There isn't enough here to base a full opinion on, but I think I can easily say that these guys still have some work to do.

crazytoledo (September 13, 2006)

I like this band, haven't heard this yet.

Anonymous (September 17, 2005)

Blue -Eyed Suicide...
awsomeness great band from Chattanooga.
any one in chattanooga should know (IF THEIR FANS) that Across Five Aprils is going to be at Phathom on the 14th of october

Anonymous (June 18, 2005)

this band is the g r e a t. im glad i stummbled onto them. i was in need of a new band to listen to

[a year from now made me cry a little]

Anonymous (May 29, 2005)

their acoustic spoken word song A Year From Now is sick.. so is this band.

fuck all you nay-sayers.

Anonymous (January 20, 2005)

The Red Badge of Courage is overrated as "literature," but it's fine "6th grade reading."

Like "To Kill a Mockingbird" or something like that.

Some of Stephen Crane's poetry, however, was pretty good.

Anonymous (January 18, 2005)

Dismissed did acoustic very well and a few years ago by the way.

Anonymous (January 18, 2005)

The Red Badge of Courage was a boring, shitty book. So overrated.

Anonymous (January 17, 2005)

a day in the life of "across five aprils"..

-play a breakdown
-break it down more
-cry self to sleep

-jmoney

Anonymous (January 17, 2005)

mediocre is being generous. such a shitty name to steal from a book. i'm gonna make a band called red badge of courage

Anonymous (January 17, 2005)

Although I don't usually like acoustic songs on albums I thought the "Through the Pane" song was actually decent. That's just me though.

Anonymous (January 17, 2005)

well....across five aprils is actually a civil war reference, in case you didnt get it. and i love them

It's a book about the civil war.

.........

It's a MEDIOCRE CHILDREN'S BOOK about the civil war.

bizzlebrizzle (January 16, 2005)

well....across five aprils is actually a civil war reference, in case you didnt get it. and i love them

It's a book about the civil war.

Anonymous (January 15, 2005)

well....across five aprils is actually a civil war reference, in case you didnt get it. and i love them

slippy (January 15, 2005)

I like Thrice.

bizzlebrizzle (January 15, 2005)

Thrice is definitely better than Thursday.

I'd rather listen to a Thrice rip-off than one of the millions of Thursday rip-offs.

Anchors (January 15, 2005)

Man, everybody always gives Thrice shit, but they're really not that bad. They're solid musicians, and I like a decent amount of their stuff.

'Under A Killing Moon' is a solid jam.

Anonymous (January 15, 2005)

Hey, I can't remember...who sucks the worst, Thursday or Thrice?

Anonymous (January 15, 2005)

to the idiot that said he lived in chatanooga and had never heard of these guys.....you must have nothing to do with music. i live in florida, have never listened tot his band, have no friends that listen to this band, have probably never read a stitch about them online prior to this, and still have known who they were for about two years. they tour constantly, and they definitely play in tenn.

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

Oh, there are more bands with names from books. Hot Water Music. The Rum Diary.

I'm gonna do the opposite one day and write a book called "blink-182." It'll be about vikings.

slippy (January 14, 2005)

This band is soo boring.

Anchors (January 14, 2005)

Man, you guys either need a comment editor, or I need to proofread my comments.

I'm in favor of the former.

Anchors (January 14, 2005)

I've got one of their albums, 'The Birth Of Tragedy,' and it's decent for what it is, but nothing I'd that makes me want to check out any other releases.

punkcorekid (January 14, 2005)

Some of them are from Atlanta, so they also claim GA and play in GA a lot...maybe that's why you haven't heard them.

This album is complete shit. The first one was good, especially for being put out a while ago.

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

catch 22.

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

I've been living in Chattanooga for 10 years and I've never heard of these guys.... If their hometown doesn't even know who they are then... nevermind

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

Add Murder By Death to the list too

they rule indeed

bizzlebrizzle (January 14, 2005)

Reviewer didn't know that the name came from a book.

Seriously why must shitty bands ruin good books?

As I Lay Dying, and now there's some homo acoustic band named A Farewell To Arms, jesus christ!

Gatsby's American Dream is good though.

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

this band has the propensity to write a really cool song that totally ruins itself before the end.

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

first cd was much much better

swooningdisaster (January 14, 2005)

the caffiends were on indianola. they didn't really sound like any other bands.

Anonymous (January 14, 2005)

In Passing is on idianola records and they're not hardcore. they're really good too.

mykindofmurder (January 14, 2005)

nah. i get the feeling all the bands on this label sound the same,