Akissforjersey - New Bodies

Akissforjersey - New Bodies

It's been 6 long years since we last heard from Akissforjersey, a Christian Post-Hardcore/Metalcore quintet. In the vein of bands of Emery, Inhale/Exhale, and Underoath they combine hard hitting metal riffs, hardcore beats with a mix of clean vocals and deep screams and growls. They've always been a great band, but have been a bit lost in the wave of similar bands that came out in the early 2000's. Their last album really saw them come into their own and find a cohesive sound that was all their own.

New Bodies continues this style with better production and truly a great return for a band on such a long hiatus. While a lot of bands now a days seem to be leaning heavily one way or the other when it comes to melodic harmonies and clean vocals and heavy riffs with growls, Akissforjersey blends the two together perfectly. Very few bands do it as well as them, one clear comparison would be to Underoath, their absence is easily filled by this band and this album, while still cutting their own way.

The album starts out with the heavy hitting 'War' which features chanting, growling, throw-away riffs, and some deep impressive lyrics about self struggles. Going from heavy into melodic and melting into heavy again, it's like a train gone off it's tracks, you never know where it's going but you know it's going to do some damage. It's a great opening song to introduce you to what the album is going to sound like. It's a theme for this album and this band, the sheer unpredictability. You never know when the chorus is going to break down into something the hits you like a ton of bricks, and then before you know it, it's back to another melodic chorus. That's a compliment, really. It's what keeps even the more generic sounding songs truly interesting. Lyrically this is definitely a Christian album. They don't try to hide it in the least, however it's never shoved in your face nor preachy. They approach their beliefs with tact and let it come through without over powering listeners of different faiths.

It this album has any weakness it's that a few of the songs do stray into the generic and predictable tropes of the metalcore genre. However for any moment or song that seems like a throw away there's songs like The Sound Of Revolution, which is basically pure hardcore punk through and through and almost has a Black Sails In The Sunset feel to it. Also tracks like Deatheater are just pure aggressive fun. The album could have finished a bit stronger, the last track Everything New, is a ballad that feels a bit out of place and stuck on. It would have been a bit better in the middle to break up the album (instead there's just a track of basically radio noise with some speaking) and change things up.

Often times it's hard for a band to come back from such a long time away. Listeners tastes change, the scene changes, you change as an artist, but Akissforjersey have done this perfectly. Probably their best album through and through it's hard, it's unpredictable, it's very well produced. For fans of this band any fears or doubts you may have are misplaced this is a must listen. If you've never heard them this is a perfect album to start with, especially if you're looking for something to fill the void left by the masters of the genre Underoath. Hopefully it won't take another 6 years to get another album from these guys, but at least if that's the case New Bodies can certainly hold us over.