Okay so I decided to make an in-depth all-in-one album review so I don't continue to make repeated posts and/or small posts for small things.
TRACKLIST RANKING:
12. Dawn
11. Dark
10. Ashes of Eden
9. Angels Fall
8. Failure
7. Defeated
6. The Great Divide
5. Never Again
4. Hollow
3. Bury Me Alive
2. Close To Heaven
1. Breaking The Silence
SOLOS: There's very little to no solos on this album but the only one that stands out to me is the one from Hollow.
LYRICS & VOCAL MELODY
Favorite Chorus:
Close To Heaven wrote:So I'll stay unforgiven
And I'll keep love together
And I'll be yours forever
I'll sleep close to heaven
I'll sleep close to heaven
Favorite Bridge:
The Great Divide wrote:Follow the sunlight down
Cry clear and loud
Heaven wont help us now
But it's better this way
Warm light wash me away
Favorite Pre-Chorus:
Defeated wrote:And I'll be the fire that dries the flood
Favorite Verse:
Angels Fall wrote:Grey skies will chase the light away
No longer
I fought the fight
Now only dark remains forever
Favorite Outro:
Failure wrote:We bury the sunlight (Failure), we bury the sunlight (Failure).
Failure! Failure.
We bury the sunlight (Failure), we bury the sunlight (Failure).
Failure! Failure.
Failire.
FAVORITE INSTRUMENTAL SECTIONS PER SONG (SOLOS CAN BE INCLUDED BUT NO VOCALS)1.Dark (there's a recording throughout the whole song so it's voided)
2.Failure (2:16-2:30)
3.Angels Fall (0:00-0:29)
4.Breaking The Silence (2:00-2:18)
5.Hollow (2:27-2:58)
6.Close To Heaven (2:34-2:45)
7.Bury Me Alive (0:00-0:31)
8.Never Again (0:00-0:25)
9.The Great Divide (0:00-0:17)
10.Ashes of Eden (0:00-0:22)
11.Defeated (0:00-0:10)
12.Dawn (0:00-0:48)
LEAST FAVE - FAVE VOCAL PERFORMANCES (MELODIES COUNT IN MY RANKING)
12. Dawn
11. Dark
10. Defeated
9. Never Again
8. Bury Me Alive
7. Failire
6. Ashes of Eden
5. The Great Divide
4. Angels Fall
3. Breaking The Silence
2. Hollow
1. Close To Heaven
TRACK-BY-TRACK BREAKDOWN
1.
Dark: Very atmospheric opener for the album. I loved the way the vocals progressed throughout the song until the climax near the end.
Pros: The atmosphere.
Cons: It could have been longer and more experimental.
2.
Failure: Standard single material. I think the vocals in the chorus were some of the best on the album
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough
3.
Angels Fall: Again a very radio-friendly idea for a single.
Pros: The chorus is catchy.
Cons: It’s not long enough
4.
Breaking The Silence: Classic BB riff. Great tempo to the verses. Liked the return of Ben’s growly vocals in the chorus. Great chorus. Liked the audible bass line in the bridge and the bridge riff.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough.
5.
Hollow: The Intro starts off at a good tempo and heads straight into a classic riff. Verse continues with the same good tempo. The chorus is the standout of the track. Very catchy. The solo was decent and the Ben vocals afterwards were again a nice departure.
Pros: The instrumental break with the solo.
Cons: It’s not long enough
6.
Close To Heaven: The bridge riff was a good departure from the rest of the songs mood. I like the lyrics in this one more than most.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy and has a great melody. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough
7.
Bury Me Alive: It has a strange idea for the verse vocals, IMO. I wasn’t sure how to feel about them. The main riff is a great rocker and the classic Ben growl-like vocals in the song were a nice surprise. Bridge is another rocker.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough
8.
Never Again: Has a great riff that throws you right into the song. But I think it could have been longer. The verses and choruses all have a great melody to them. The chorus of this song really reminds me of classic Ben for some reason.
Pros: It’s a fun song to rock out to.
Cons: It’s not long enough
9.
The Great Divide: Classic BB opening riff. Very heartfelt chorus lyrics. The verses are a bit monotonous. The bridge is a very pleasant surprise in the song. I thought the melody and the guitars went very well together.
Pros: One of the best bridges on the album.
Cons: It’s not long enough
10.
Ashes of Eden: Decent Intro. I thought the verses dragged on a bit. The pre-chorus and chorus vocals seemed a bit odd to me for some reason; but I can’t put my finger on it.
Pros: It added some diversity to the album.
Cons: It’s not long enough. I think Ben doesn’t have the best vocals for a slow ballady type song such as this; and that made the song suffer a bit.
11.
Defeated: The vocals in this song especially seem the least raw. I really get that sense in the chorus.
Pros: The chorus is very catchy. I found it very easy to sing along to.
Cons: It’s not long enough.
12.
Dawn: I thought that it was again not very experimental or climactic like the opener; and the vocals could have been utilized better.
Pros: It was only a short song.
Cons: It wasn’t experimental enough.
MISC. COMMENTS
There was an overuse of vocal effects on Ben’s voice
I thought there was mention of the new members being able to do backing vocals but I heard none
I thought that the guitar work was very monotonous and too similar. They need to experiment more in order to be more than just ear candy.
There wasn’t enough solos
The production could have been better.
It wasn’t long enough.
Lyrics: 7/10
Instrumentals: 6/10
Vocals: 6/10
Length: 6/10
Overall I give Dark Before Dawn a grade C as an album.