This or the Apocalypse - Monuments

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RIYL

August Burns Red
Shai Hulud
Protest The Hero
Misery Signals

Label

Lifeforce Records

Tracklist

1. No Horizons
2. Monuments
3. Two Wars
4.We Are Debt
5. Giest
6. Architeuthis
7. The Polymath
8. Memento Mori
9. Mama Kea
10. Elegiac

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3 ratings

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You may remember Lancaster, Pennsylvania as the city that brought the Christian metalcore outfit August Burns Red to the forefront of their scene. Birthed out of that same city and looking to take away that crown is This or the Apocalypse with their sophomore effort Monuments.

As a huge fan of technical music, This or the Apocalypse intrigued me just a bit. While they aren’t a technical band, per se, listening to a song on their MySpace will demonstrate that they like to utilize time signatures that aren’t the standard 4/4. They have the same ideas as bands Protest The Hero and Shai Hulud but aren’t as shredilicious. Problem is, as the album goes on, it seems as though they start to force themselves into using all of these rhythms and riffs. After a while, it becomes almost a little bit of a gimmick, not to mention tiring. Don’t they understand that the general public doesn’t know how to headbang to odd rhythms and time signatures? However, this same problem also helps the band differentiate themselves from a lot of other metalcore acts. It’s quite a contradiction, but if you can get used to the awkwardness of some of the riffs (“Two Wars” has some great examples), you will find a lot to like.

While This or the Apocalypse share a lot of qualities with most other metalcore bands, they have enough going for them that would put them at the same level as the aforementioned August Burns Red. Besides all the “technical” stuff mentioned earlier, they are able to blend heaviness with melody (a la Misery Signals) very well. “Elegiac” is one of the strongest songs on the album and is a rather epic closer. “Memento Mori” is the only instrumental track on the disc and leads into the last two songs perfectly.

This or the Apocalypse’s second effort is a glass half-full / half-empty kind of deal. They definitely have something going for them that, with some work, could take them to the forefront of the technical metalcore arena. However, they need to work out some of the kinks before that happens. While Monuments is far from monumental, I’d still take it over the apocalypse any day. August Burns Red would be proud.

--Logan Broger

Author

logan37
Last updated: 09/29/2009 09:00PM

Comments

Bells and Whistles
08/11/2008
06:51PM
Location
Edmonton, AB
I quite like the songs they have on myspace, but haven't been able to find the rest of the album. And I don't think they sound THAT much like ABR, even though it wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
logan37
08/11/2008
08:22PM
Age: 21
Location
Toronto
Bells and Whistles
I quite like the songs they have on myspace, but haven't been able to find the rest of the album. And I don't think they sound THAT much like ABR, even though it wouldn't be a bad thing at all.


I don't believe I ever say that they sound a lot like them.
Bells and Whistles
08/11/2008
08:50PM
Location
Edmonton, AB
Well, I suppose that's true..... but you did mention them 3 times haha
logan37
08/11/2008
09:11PM
Age: 21
Location
Toronto
Bells and Whistles
Well, I suppose that's true..... but you did mention them 3 times haha


hahha yeahhh that's true as well. It's mainly due to them both being from the same city and being metalcore bands.
Denizen
08/20/2008
10:50AM
Location
Bedford, OH
The beginning of Two Wars gets such an awkward groove going that I just get swallowed up in it.

rasta

Rick Gebhardt
09/15/2008
02:17PM
Age: 31
Location
Minnesota
Not a bad release. Just getting around to hearing it now. Some songs like "Two Wars" are pretty bad ass, but other like "Geist" seem pretty generic.

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