Shores - Life/Lost

Shores - Life/Lost

Life/Lost is the second EP from hard working band Shores. It's a lot heavier than their first release and a lot more polished up. I've been a fan of Shores ever since I first heard them. They were recommended to me by a good friend and I haven't found a reason to stop listening. Their second EP certainly doesn't do anything to change that.  Everything is taken up to 11 on this album although it does give in a bit more to some of the pitfalls of the metalcore genre.

First let's get what I didn't like about this album out of the way. A lot of the songs give into the stale tropes of the metalcore genre and border on what I like to call breakdowncore. It makes a lot of the songs blend into one. It also has the adverse effect of making the EP seem shorter than it is at times. While this album features much better mixing and production than the first EP some of the cuts and transitions are still a little jarring and rough. That's it, that's all I have to say about this album that's of a negative nature.

While some of the songs do trend into that pitfall of being too overzealous with the use of breakdowns, most of the songs skip past it. The clean vocals and clean guitars are not as prominent as they were before but they stand out even more.  The guitar riffs go from groovy to face-meltingly intense in a heartbeat. Even when the songs hit parts that may sound a bit generic they still will be stuck in your head. This is most apparent on my favorite song Shapeshifter. I had the pleasure of hearing a rough demo a few months ago and I didn't think it could be improved but somehow they managed it. The clean vocals on this track stand out amongst how simply brutal and assaulting it is. It also features some of the best lyrics on the EP. Speaking lyrically there's nothing here that could be called poetic but the lyrics and themes are certainly deep enough to satisfy. I definitely have some favorite lines from some of the tracks already.

Since I started listening to them about a year ago, I've held Shores in high regards. This EP did not let me down. It only ups the intensity of the first EP and improves on solid ground. It would still be nice to see them incorporate a bit more clean guitar and vocals and to explore more styles to be a bit more progressive. As they stand though they really do rise above with enough heavy for the metal fans, enough grooves and chants for the hardcore fans, and enough style for everyone else. It won't win over anyone not already interested in the genre but to anyone who is, this is some of the best new music out there.

Shores - Beginning/End

Shores - Beginning/End

 

The so called 'Hardcore' genre has been so over saturated over the years with so many bands simply trying to make the hardest breakdown, or the lowest growls. There's so many bands at this point that they generally all meld into one, even on an individual bands own album many songs sound exactly the same. You come to expect the same screaming, the same clean vocals, the same chugga-chugga riffs, the same song structure. The whole genre has generally become boring and stale. Shores is a different breed. A fresh young band out of Okinawa Japan they're here to show what the genre can be. While they do fall victim to some of the stale staples of the genre, overall they offer a fresher approach to the hardcore music scene.

The first song you hear is Of Alaska. Right away you'll know what to expect. This is going to be heavy and loud. The opening guitar riff is more reminiscent of Underoath or Norma Jean than what you would expect in this genre, say something like Memphis May Fire. It then breaks down into the clean vocals, yet the guitarist refuses at this point to become boring. The song does go to the boring chugga-chugga riff towards the end, but at this point the song is stuck in your head.

The Last Sound shows off the layering of the clean vocals and the screaming. It highlights the differences between the two, and you'll realize they have pretty unique voices for the crowded genre. Also just try and get certain parts of this song out of your head, I dare you.

Westward March is one of the singles off the album and while it does showcase a lot of what the band has to offer, I kind of wish they had gone with another song, it's a great song and catchy as hell but I feel like it plays it too safe genre wise. Although I suppose that will be good to get the hardcore kids listening to it. Basically it's a traditional hardcore song you know what to expect, but it's well done.

Their next single off this album fares a bit better. Beacons is more something you'd expect out of a more progressive hardcore band like Underoath. It's a great showcase of the clean vocalists range. It's also a good single, it's decently catchy, and still plays it safe enough.

If I had to pick a favorite song off of this it would have to be The Great Neck. Probably because it's the most progressive song on the album. It's the best way to show off the combined skills of the band, the guitar, the bass, the drumming, and the vocals. The stand outs on this song in particular are the guitarist with the more mellow side of things transitioning into an awesome metal riff, and the two vocalists. The layering again on this song is just amazing. Also The Great Neck strays from the path with the song structure. It's very anti-traditional and it makes it just that much better.

The album is filled out with 3 other songs, Ashes and Embers, Polaris, and Beginning End. Of the 3 the closing song, Beginning End, is the stand out. It's a good way to close and will leave you wanting to hear more. In total the album contains 8 songs, it's a bit short but it's packed with talent.

Shores hasn't really made a big name yet in the US. Hopefully that will change soon, because these guys deserve it. They possess an amazing amount of talent, and bring a fresh taste to a stale genre. This is hopefully just the beginning for them and not the end (See what I did there?), though I would like them to use a more progressive song structure and try to steer away from the over played parts of the genre. Overall this is a great hardcore album and I hope to hear more from Shores.

Pick up the album today