ESCAPE THE FATE

"This War Is Ours" (Epitaph; 2008)

Reviewed by Jeff Rogers

If you've never heard Escape The Fate then I highly recommend this strong band. They are post-hardcore and alternative metal and they have some of the nastiest guitar I've heard in a long time. The vocals are really great and the song structures are tight. I was very surprised when I spun this eye-opener. This is their second disc and, although screamo was their previous forte, they don't do it all over this disc, only on "The Guillotine II" and on the bridge of a couple of songs.

The guitar has a metal flavor with wicked little solos and plenty of filler; you can hear it all the time and it's gritty when Monte Bryan Money lays down a riff. They have a couple of solid rockers that don't have the impressive guitar enclosed but those tracks are still great. There are some huge rock choruses and that makes this a listening pleasure worth taking the time for.

The drums are stellar; they have that hardcore sound but they don't overpower the track. The bass times along with the guitar.

"This War Is Ours" will be a welcomed addition to your music library. Josh Todd of Buckcherry fame does some co-vocals on "10 Miles Wide" and he also sings some back up on "Harder Than You Know" which is a slow song ... really slow compared to the other cuts.

The best teeth kickers are "We Won't Back Down," "On To The Next One," "Ashley," "The Flood," "Let It Go," and "10 Miles Wide."

Escape The Fate: Craig Mabbitt - lead vocals; Monte Bryan Money - lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals; Max Green - bass, backing vocals; Robert Ortiz - drums, percussion.

For more information, check out http://www.escapethefate.net.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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Revised: 04 Sep 2023 14:57:32 -0400.