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Every Time I Die

Gutter Phenomenon (2005)
Ferret Records

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Contributed by: elliot
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on September 16th 2005

For the way that they go about their business as a band, Every Time I Die deserve a solid 10. Whether it’s their ridiculous interviews, their daringly retarded band pictures, or their complete rejection of tough-guy posing, you can always count on Every Time I Die to be playing the hardcore game on their own terms, throwing everyone a constant curveball.

Along with their notorious antics, Every Time I Die’s music has been growing and evolving in ways that are sure to rub more than a few hardcore kids the wrong way. They’ve accomplished this through a simple philosophy: Turn down the metal and crank up the rock’n’roll. Gutter Phenomenon is the current peak of that philosophy.

Without relying too much on breakdowns and open-chord chugging, Every Time I Die still rock just as hard as they used to, but with much more emphasis on the rock’n’roll parts that were starting to come through on Hot Damn! Thin Lizzy-inspired lead riffs pop up all over the place, the best example being the downright delicious riff in “The New Black.” That riff stands out so boldly, it’s at that point in the album that you know you’ve stumbled into a full-on rock’n’roll sleazefest.

Keith Buckley’s vocals, however, went less in the rock’n’roll direction, and back into the hardcore delivery he used on Last Night In Town. He doesn’t just shout anymore. It’s now a throatier, grittier sound, and it actually works really well with the music. As always, Buckley’s lyrics are abstract and stream-of-consciousness, challenging the listener to either love them or dismiss them as pretentious. But if you look past the vagueness, his lyrics turn out to just be competently thrown together pieces of ideas. For the line "Hey, girls! I’m a cunt!," Buckley should be awarded a Pulitzer.

Gutter Phenomenon is a blast to listen to, but the replay value is hurt by the fact that some of the sounds blend together too similarly. You can only have the same hammer-on guitar lines in so many songs before you become repetitious. Also, Buckley lets his clean singing go wild on this album, doing self-affected crooning in spots he wouldn’t have before. It works at very specific times, but mostly gets annoying. Though it’s tough to tell whether his singing is tongue-in-cheek, it definitely shouldn’t be there either way.

An album like Gutter Phenomenon probably isn’t even meant to be evaluated. Every Time I Die do not care about being taken seriously, and that’s why their music has taken this sharp turn towards the rock. This is good-time, fun music. When Buckley yells "Fuck yeah, we’re gonna party tonight!," that’s Every Time I Die’s flag being shoved into the sand. They’re here, they’re party animals, and they’re not going anywhere.

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Snakes (August 18, 2006)

simply incredible

istapledmyfoot (August 9, 2006)

discofucker sounds like a tool.

kill_fftl (June 18, 2006)

i like hardcore punk, but oh well fuck it close enough

Anonymous (June 13, 2006)

Kill the music is a catchy song. i remember i heard the singer from MCR was in it. i had sec thoughts but what i heard of it soo far its decent. i like the other ones better

crazytoledo (March 27, 2006)

Posted by md40_07 on 2005-12-04 15:54:52

The only good thing about this band is they hate AX7. I bought this CD thinking it would be good and its now sitting on my shelf and hasn't been played since the first day I got it.

That's because your an idiot who likes Hawthorne Heights.

discofucker (March 20, 2006)

Foaming97, that doese not make you open minded. Besides LOTR, everything could be thrown into the vague category of "alternative."

Try listening to some roots Americana, than maybe you can complement yourself on how open-minded you are.

Anonymous (February 17, 2006)

fuck all of you this cd is good.

Anonymous (February 12, 2006)

after touring with the bronx....the boys in ETID perfected the blend of hardcore and southern rock.....the more you listen to this album, the better it gets...this is the near future of hardcore....watch this style take over the boring ass cookie cutter doom and gloom screamo shitcore thats been so popular with the kiddies for the past 4 years

Anonymous (January 18, 2006)

"this is the album emanuel tried to make and failed at."

that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard.

album of 05.

Foaming_97 (December 9, 2005)

Is it bad if my playlists on my computer are able to read like

" Alkaline Trio- Maybe I'll Catch Fire "
" Between the Buried and me- The Silent Circus"
" Lord of the Rings- Soundtrack "
" Minor Threat- Complete Discography "
" Silverstein- When Broken is Easily Fixed "
" Suicide Machines- Destruction by Definition "
" As I lay Dying- Shadows are Security "

or am i simply open-minded. Just wondering 'cause i always get shit about it.

And about this cd. It fucking rocks.

LaidToWaste (December 9, 2005)

Just good all american hard rock music!

md40_07 (December 4, 2005)

The only good thing about this band is they hate AX7. I bought this CD thinking it would be good and its now sitting on my shelf and hasn't been played since the first day I got it.

Anonymous (November 25, 2005)

He isnt trying to duplicate the sound from past albums and thats what makes it really good. It ones of the albums that stands out from others this year and is much different than other samey bands hitting the airwaves. I think it still keeps a hardcore element to it, but with added rock n roll with this release, not so much metal. Just enjoy this album! Stop preaching on what it lacks and listen to it for whats in this release

Anonymous (November 25, 2005)

How you can call the vocals on this album horrible is beyond me... I think they're much better than the vocals on past albums. He had the vocal training for it. I enjoy the songs on this album more than other ones. They have better structure to them and in the interviews I've read with keith he feels the same way about it, definately a album that grows on you after various listens.

Anonymous (October 5, 2005)

Yeah, it's not Hot Damn!, and the vocals often sound too compressed, and the guest appearances are a little taxing. But during the moments those three things aren't getting in the way you've got a pretty fine album.

Anonymous (October 3, 2005)

um yea i see every one talking about hot damn ... now i ask what about their ep before last night in town... ?

ps every thing they do is good so get over it

Anonymous (September 21, 2005)

end of story:

evetytime i die went from awesome metalcore to awesome rock and roll.

fuck all yall haters.

k-dubs

etwiels88 (September 20, 2005)

Last Night In Town has more filler tracks than either Hot Damn or Gutter Phenomenon. And don't act like you had the LNIT cd before Hot Damn was released.

Anonymous (September 19, 2005)

you all need to suck my cock
last night in town is ETID's best album
but wait a second ... most of you scene kids wouldn't realize that ETID have an album before Hot Damn

CherryColaRain (September 18, 2005)

I quiet enjoyed the album. Yeah it was a letdown from Hot Damn! But I still love it. It's just hell fun to listen to, also the lyrics are great and me against popular opinion i think Keith's voice went from Could-be-good to Really good. But meh thats just me. Either way awsome record.

Anonymous (September 18, 2005)

great album.

not really into such a slick production with ETID.

Anonymous (September 17, 2005)

all i have to say is....titties

davebrave4 (September 17, 2005)

Not a letdown! Maybe it's not quite as good as hot damn, but they could never match that, and no one was expecting them to. This CD is great. The only somewhat valid complaint is his singing on this disc.

Anchors (September 17, 2005)

My thoughts on this album can be put into one sentence;

This band went from kicking you in the face to flicking you in the ear.

skamanifesto (September 17, 2005)

i came into this album expecting to find it be a letdown, just based on everyone telling me there would be no way it could match "Hot Damn!"
But i was really happy with this after a few spins. I, personally, like the change in vocals. Yeah Keith is awesome at screaming, but i mean you can only take so many tracks of it before they all start to sound the same. That was my major problem with Hot Damn, which doesnt occur here. Great Album, great review, perfect score.

Big_Guy (September 17, 2005)

My biggest problem with this, is the production. It sounds really bad.

This and the new DBS could have been much better if they stuck with whomever produced their previous albums.

Anonymous (September 17, 2005)

"Bored Stiff' could have potentially made an appearance on Hot Damn!.

My fav on the disc...

ramo (September 16, 2005)

"For the line "Hey, girls! I’m a cunt!," Buckley should be awarded a Pulitzer."

Meh. More like a Drama Desk award at best.

As for the album, I agree with the majority that it's a letdown. Hot Damn! displayed how much talent ETID had in the genre and now hearing this (plague with overproduction and misplaced vocals), who knows if it's Machine's fault or the delivery Keith tried to do. There are some okay songs mind you but they're easily forgetable in about a month. Le sigh.

Ramo

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

'"Fuck yeah, we’re gonna party tonight!," that’s Every Time I Die’s flag being shoved into the sand. They’re here, they’re party animals, and they’re not going anywhere. '

Just because you have a sense of humor and sarcasm doesn't mean your being silly or superficial. I don't know if they are seriously exclaiming how much they are going to party.

Wierd review. Alright record, but seems pale next to the promise on hot damn.

wyzo

crazytoledo (September 16, 2005)

It's dropped a little in my book, but it still is a really good album.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

there was no way they were gonna be able to top Hot Damn!.

and while the vocal style is different, i.e. different from their first two records, it's still good for what it is.

but in all fairness, i just saw them twice earler this week, and they still kick major fucking ass live.

and they did play 5 songs off of Hot Damn! and 6 off this record, and 2 off Last Night In Town.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

i like where they were headed with this release, a more rock and roll feel, but they seem to recycle the same riffs over and over again. their are about 4 good songs and the rest are ok, but nothing special in my book compared to their earlier stuff

tylerdurden8136 (September 16, 2005)

wow. a review. finally.

well, apparently no one else likes this, but i think this album is undeniably fun. i expected more out of all of you. psh.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

The vocals are TERRIBLE ON THIS RECORD. The guitar tones seem to be a tad quiet as well. Some interesting lyrics and delivery, but the singing is just awful. Its so bad. The singing is really bad on this.

Barkley

Ps Keith's voice is nowhere near as good as the last two records.

AlmostPunkEnough (September 16, 2005)

oooooo, i get it... that's away to much of a connection for me to make with my feeble mind. damn this italian ancestry, making me think of nothing but pizza and alfa romeos all the time.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

This is a great album. They really pulled off the transition very well. Some parts are hit or miss but they did a good job with the change overall. It's sounds like trashy sleazecore.. pretty sweet.

stevejonestherealbones (September 16, 2005)

and by many, i of course mean not that many but enough

- jones

stevejonestherealbones (September 16, 2005)

oh. uh. he cant see the many positive comments even in this review, for this album. seems like a good amount of people enjoyed it

i am done. he is blind.

- j the b

AlmostPunkEnough (September 16, 2005)

blind guys have internet?

ummm, jones, what the hell are you talking about? i'm really confused, but i assume that's the point.

not a single person on this website likes anything.

i like plenty of stuff and point it out often, as do many people around here. and how dare you make fun of blind people?

stevejonestherealbones (September 16, 2005)

not a single person on this website likes anything.

blind guys have internet?

first i learn about ireland, and now the blind

- jones

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

not a single person on this website likes anything.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

this is the album emanuel tried to make and failed at.

Big_Guy (September 16, 2005)

It's no Hot Damn!, but still enjoyable

ncarlber (September 16, 2005)

You know what...at first I hated this album, but it really grew on me over time.

The aggression found in the songs (especially tusk and temper) is something you don't find too often in music. I love it now.....if only they were bringing the Chariot with them to Chicago.

AlmostPunkEnough (September 16, 2005)

You know what I hate? The fuckin Counting Crows.

that makes Mr. Jones and me very sad.

i don't think this is as bad as everyone says it is. sure it's a tremendous step down from "Hot Damn!", but who didn't see that coming. there's still 3 or 4 songs that i like a lot on here, and the rest aren't awful, they just don't hold my attention. meh, i had no expectations anyway.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

You know who deserves a Pulitzer? That Samantha Power. Oh right. She got one.

etwiels88 (September 16, 2005)

More of the same is boring, people. Every Time I Die and Last Night In Town were enough, and I'm glad to see they've graduated to a more southern rock feel. It flows so much easier.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

i fucking love this album

jamespastepunk (September 16, 2005)

Keith Buckley does not deserve a Pulitzer.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

This was definitely not the best album released on August 16, 2005.

Silly... I feel like few people hate this, but I don't know anyone who was psyched about it. It's just a silly record no one should buy. But not one that you should go out of your way to help anyone you know dodge the bullet.

Anonymous (September 16, 2005)

this cd is horrrrrrrrible

ElVaquero (September 16, 2005)

My friend played this for me last night, the only question I have is what happened to the vocals?

maverick (September 16, 2005)

Huuuuuuuuuge letdown. I see what they're going for here, and they nailed it, attitude-wise -- they just couldn't do it musically. Hot Damn! is still one of my top records in this genre, however.

-Scott

benz (September 16, 2005)

Every Time I Die seem to be awesome dudes, but this album is not good at all. It's boring, and Keith's vocals sound like every other piece of shit metalcore singer. His lyrics are great as always, but this album just doesn't do it for me at all.

Plus, it's overshadowed by how awesome Hot Damn was.

-benz