Across Five Aprils

Living In The Moment (2004)

Greg

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.