ALBUM: Genesi[s]
YEAR: 2012
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/woeis
RATING: 2.5/5
Have you ever listened to an album and you're just not sure if you like it or not?
For a few reasons, I just couldn't decide what to make of the latest Woe, Is Me release, Genesi[s].
It has some upside for it to be considered a decent response to the mass criticism the band has received over the past 12 months, predominantly for losing left-right and centre to form an almost entirely new lineup the second time around. However, it really has some glaring fundamental problems that keep it from being great.
Head honcho and former Of Machines drummer Austin Thornton still remains, with guitarist Kevin Hanson being the only other remaining original member.
As many people know, (and even more fans by the sounds of things) the debut album Number[s] was littered with potential, ending up to be a pretty enjoyable album from start to finish. It garnered them much of the fame the band has today, and for a group who were signed before playing a show on the back of their infamous Ke$ha (Fuck, is every title in this review going to require the use of extra symbols?) cover, it was a pretty good effort. It was a good blend of melody, electronics, and hard hitting post-hardcore. Certainly this isn't the same band the second time around (notably without the use of vocalist Tyler Carter but I really can't be bothered with the whole ISSUES v Woe shit-fight)
With the Number[s] era behind them, Woe have release their newest album to mixed expectations.
Does Genesi[s] deliver? For the most part, No. It's not of the same calibre that their last release was. However there are a few redeeming features that might make a good chunk of their fanbase stick around.
I've listened to this album a fair few times since it's been leaked, and the biggest problem here is that it's just all too similar. Seriously, you really can't distinguish one song from another, I'm still having trouble picking the album apart. This is largely due to the excessive use of, YEP, you guessed it, breakdowns.
Bring your wife, bring your children, bring your entire family, because there's enough chugging here to last a while.
Every song is probably 80% chugging, (minus the two unplugged tracks) and I'm certainly not against using this to enhance a song. It often works, but on this occasion it just all sounds too familiar from song to song.
From the first song to the last, songs don't differentiate from each other nearly enough. This issue is amplified when the tracks don't have enough structure. Most of the songs don't even have choruses. This isn't such a bad thing if the song flows, but it just feels all too random and out of place.The band will be chugging along and out of nowhere a transition will appear to give their singer (which I'll get to in a bit) a chance to get a word in. At least, that's what it felt like to me, and unfortunately so because a few of the many many breakdowns used actually sound pretty good. (Though they do get stale after a few listens with not much in between)
I'm certainly aware that people don't go to bands like Woe for face-melting guitar solo's or aggressive death metal, but some more creativity here would've been nice.
The unclean vocals of Doriano actually don't sound too bad, he doesn't have a whole lot of range but he has his moments. All in all though, it just all gets old way too fast.
The use of sound-effects here is massive. Backing tracks to give many of the songs an 'epic' feel, which I didn't mind. It's certainly different from the electronics/synth we saw on the first album.
While the band arguably lost their greatest asset in Tyler Carter, clean vocalist Hance Alligood is a fine replacement. His mix of gruff (almost talking to the listener) and uplifting notes work really well together, and for mine is the standout part of the entire album. He really isn't used enough, and a lack of choruses mean plenty of his parts are actually forgotten quite easily. Probably should've played a bigger part in the final product for mine, gives the songs atmosphere even if his parts feel out of place. The final acoustic track is probably his finest moment, he just sounds awesome here, and it's refreshing after the 30 minutes of chugging that fall before it.
Read that he might need a seat for when he's used live, and it's not far off. Doriano probably takes 75-80% of the vocal duties here.
As you might've guessed, instrumentally it's hard to take much out of it. The guitars are very plain and while they thump through the whole album, they don't add much. Much of the change-ups come in the form of transition-effects and the aforementioned background orchestra.
The stand out track for mine was the second single A Story to Tell, as well as With Our Friend[s] Behind Us with Caleb Shomo. (he rocks this song) A good example of what Woe can do when they come close to putting it all together.
Bottom line here is, if you're after something you haven't heard before. Yeah, this will probably anger you. It's essentially 30 minutes worth of breakdowns, with a few positives mainly coming from the quality clean vocal parts. If you were a fan before, this might satisfy . But due to its lack of originality and creativity it might feel stale, But taking it for what it's worth, it's angry, it's in your face and on its merits it's probably a symbol of the changes the band has undergone.
Give it a lesson and judge for yourself.
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