Through Solace - The World On Standby
Rating
RIYL
It PrevailsBeloved
Misery Signals
Release Date
04/28/2009
Label
Strike First RecordsTracklist
01. We Were So Sincere (3:07)02. Aspects of Dreams (2:51)
03. Through These Years (2:43)
04. Taylor (3:50)
05. Almost (4:10)
06. Change of Heart (3:13)
07. Landmark (3:26)
08. An Opening (3:30)
09. Seth Loomis (5:32)
10. You Were My World (3:02)
11. Lead by Example (3:54)
12. Tides II (4:54)
Users Rating |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Recent Ratings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A few weeks back I reviewed The Great Commission’s Strike First Records debut full length And Every Knee Shall Bow. I mentioned how they, along with several other bands, are part of an overhaul attempt with Strike First. One of the other bands the label signed to try and help regain momentum is Through Solace. Hailing from South Wales, Through Solace knows the road of DIY. They self released their first EP An Innocent Confession and booked tours non-stop all throughout Europe in support of the release. After extensive touring they released another EP, The Stand, on Holdfast Records, which caught the attention of Strike First Records and shortly thereafter they inked a deal. Now they have released their debut full-length, The World on Standby, and are ready to take the US by storm, or so they hope.
Through Solace have matured since their earlier EPs, and they exhibit their developed sound on The World on Standby. Displaying a sound somewhat reminiscent of Beloved, this album is a well formatted formula of melody and metallic hardcore. However, not too many songs stand out on this recording and this may possibly be because of the production quality. The songs themselves are decent, and the band has a respectable amount of talent, but the quality of the production is very poor. You take an album like the above-mentioned And Every Knee Shall Bow, which is over produced and compare it to The World on Standby and it really makes you question Strike First’s state of mind. A band like Through Solace that really has potential and talent should be getting first class production. Instead, The Great Commission release is so polished and has way too many bass drops that it’s not too hard to tell which band the label is trying to push on kids in today’s hardcore scene.
Despite the lack of production, there are a few standout tracks. “Through These Years” is definitely one of the paramount tracks on the album. Coming out strong right from the gates, “Through These Years” blends a melody parallel to early Misery Signals and the intensity of early Poison the Well, giving it the right ingredients for your listening pleasure. Following in the same footsteps of “Through These Years” is “An Opening”. “An Opening” starts off with a weak gang vocal, which is more proof of poor production, but flows right into some groovy guitar melodies. However, the track of all tracks is “Taylor”. Through Solace really demonstrate their talents on this particular ensemble and the lyrics definitely exhibit the positive message they always try to display. Discussing the problems in life and learning how to cope with them, Through Solace make it clear that they are on this planet to play music with optimistic significance.
When all's said and done, Through Solace have released a solid album that is shattered by the lack of production. This overseas five piece definitely has the potential to be a big band in their genre, but if they don’t get the promotion they deserve and the proper backing from their label, they will sadly be another band that falls by the wayside. The World on Standby is certainly a fine start for these guys and hopefully they will move on to bigger and better things. However, as of right now things aren’t looking to good for these guys.
--Bill Lohr
Comments
Kansas
I'm liking this stuff.
http://rateyourmusic.com/~benny06
San Jose, CA
Great review, you nailed it. This band sounds like they have a lot of potential, but the production on this album destroys any decency.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Lehigh Valley, PA
Thanks Matt. Yea, these guys really have potential, I enjoyed the album but the quality of it destroyed everything for me.
Alabama
Caught these guys not to long agoand they put on an awesome show! I own The Stand and its production isn't that great either butits still really goodso I'm looking forward to hearing this.
Minnesota
Is it really that hard to get good production nowadays? It shouldn't be an issue... like, ever. There's simply no excuse. Even unsigned bands putting out independently recorded albums sound great.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Infinitely Inwards
I.E. Kalisia.... But really, the album artwork for this one is great.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
ERRA - Impulse
Aborted - Global Flatline
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Minnesota
Man, it just really gets to me that this could have been so much better with a little more time spent doing some quality production work. Some of the songs on here are awesome.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Lehigh Valley, PA
That's why I made it a pretty big deal in my review.
San Jose, CA
It's a common theme with Facedown-related releases, at least from what I've heard. For some reason they always have poorly produced albums.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy