Senses Fail - Renacer

Senses Fail - Renacer

Some day scientists are going to have to go back and pin-point the exact moment that Senses Fail decided to get really good. Not that they were ever bad but mostly forgettable, I had completely forgotten they existed until a few weeks ago. I mean I always listened to them and liked them, just never really remembered them unless prompted. They were part of that wave of post-hardcore/screamo that came around in the early 2000's, they put out a few pretty good songs but ultimately failed to make an impact. They were just one of those bands that everyone listened to, and everyone knew, but no one particularly got excited.

This album may light any fires but it's such an improvement over their past work, and something to really get excited for. It's also a pretty big deviation from their past work, I mean there's elements of their old style mixed in, some songs it's more evident than others, but right from the get-go you know this is going to be something different. 

The song opens with a fairly hard hitting, hardcore (Think Hatebreed or Stick to Your Guns) song, named after the album which is fitting because basically it sets the tone for the whole album. This isn't the softer Senses Fail of the past. It's rough it's brutal it's, for lack of a better term, in your face. Holy Mountain starts off hitting heavy with a nice guitar riff, and gives way to more traditional Senses Fail softer singing. It's a good representation of the bands new sound and shows off their range especially with the vocals. However when I say soft it's still pretty heavy as a whole, a good mix of the past and present.

Mi Amor is probably the coolest song on the whole album. First it's mostly in Spanish, which is pretty cool, and second it's an interesting song to listen to. Also it's catchy as hell. It's again a mix of their old and new style, the chorus is pretty hard hitting but has a nice groove and catchy. The rest is just hard, and then the English parts are well done, and it's a nice love song that doesn't come off cheesy, like it easily could have.

The rest of the album, is extremely good for a hardcore album, there's a lot of talent in there. A lot of progression from their older days. The stand out tracks are definitely Snake Bite and Between The Mountains And The Sea. Snake Bite is another one that mixes old and new in a beautiful, particularly the softer vocals stand out on this track, and it mixes so well with the harder moments, also anohter catchy groove. BTMATS is almost reminiscent of Brand New, it's slower, but it's heavy. The vocals will you haunted after the song has ended. Nothing comes of as whiny or forced. It's more along the lines of their older work but shows the best of that period. The guitar work is less as groove heavy as the other tracks but plays nice in the end.

Unless you have been following this band since the early 2000's or were one of their bigger fans, I doubt you'll be expecting an album as heavy and as progressive (for the band) as Renacer. It's worth checking out for any hardcore, post-hardcore, or really anyone who likes music. It's a brilliantly done album as a whole.