Image Courtesy: ADTR Records
The Ocala, Florida band go from pop punk anthems to metalcore in arguably their best effort to date
By: Gio Mio
When A Day To Remember released the album Common Courtesy in 2013, it symbolized a sign of freedom and change. The band spent years in a battle with their label, Victory Records, trying to leave and go independent. A group known to mix pop punk and hardcore to appeal to both fans of the spectrum, Common Courtesy was easily their most mainstream effort, and pushed away fans that were there from For Those Who Have Heart.
Funny enough, Bad Vibrations is the first time the band wrote music together as a group since that debut album. In the past three years between Common Courtesy and Bad Vibrations, they wrote a ton of songs that didn't even make the album. Some arguably more thrash than the 11 (13 on the deluxe) songs on the new project.
Bad Vibrations is very reminiscent of their fist three releases. ADTR counters hardcore songs about "breaking points" and starting fights ("Exposed") with radio anthems ("We Got This") not that far apart from each other. Some of the riffs and chord progressions on the heavier parts of the album are very reminiscent of metal band Parkway Drive, and I'm not complaining one bit about it.
But what makes Bad Vibrations better than anything they've released since 2009's Homesick is how the songs come together. The band sounds more mature while still not losing a step with their pop punk/metal roots. One of my personal favorites off this album, "Naivety," is lead singer Jeremy McKinnon's ode to growing old and the adjustments he's had to made while maturing on the road. ADTR is the only band I know that can successfully cross the boundaries between a band feeling reminiscent making songs for the radio (ironically they have a song on Bad Vibrations called "Turn Off The Radio") while turning around and starting mosh pits not even four minutes later.
Ironically, the one thing fans wanted more of on Bad Vibrations, bridge breakdowns, is what make me hold back from putting this effort over Homesick. While I love the occasional breakdown, it seems that in songs they force breakdowns in random spots to show off their hardcore roots. Then when the breakdown comes naturally in a few others, it just sounds cliche and unoriginal. Either McKinnon's screams save the breakdown from being repetitive or they try too hard to come off hardcore.
The production on Bad Vibrations is surprisingly not up to par with the usual ADTR album. There are moments where drummer Alex Shellnut's drums will warp out the guitars. or a few vocal tracks that are too low to even hear unless you use headphones. Either one instrumental track will have too much of something or too little with no in-between.
It's really refreshing to see ADTR finally come out swinging at arguably their hardest. Bad Vibrations is hard enough to satisfy the metal fans, while also having a few radio anthems that fans will make t-shirts out of and belt at college parties. They're right back at it again.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Notable Tracks:
"Exposed"
"Naivety"
"Paranoia"
When A Day To Remember released the album Common Courtesy in 2013, it symbolized a sign of freedom and change. The band spent years in a battle with their label, Victory Records, trying to leave and go independent. A group known to mix pop punk and hardcore to appeal to both fans of the spectrum, Common Courtesy was easily their most mainstream effort, and pushed away fans that were there from For Those Who Have Heart.
Funny enough, Bad Vibrations is the first time the band wrote music together as a group since that debut album. In the past three years between Common Courtesy and Bad Vibrations, they wrote a ton of songs that didn't even make the album. Some arguably more thrash than the 11 (13 on the deluxe) songs on the new project.
Bad Vibrations is very reminiscent of their fist three releases. ADTR counters hardcore songs about "breaking points" and starting fights ("Exposed") with radio anthems ("We Got This") not that far apart from each other. Some of the riffs and chord progressions on the heavier parts of the album are very reminiscent of metal band Parkway Drive, and I'm not complaining one bit about it.
But what makes Bad Vibrations better than anything they've released since 2009's Homesick is how the songs come together. The band sounds more mature while still not losing a step with their pop punk/metal roots. One of my personal favorites off this album, "Naivety," is lead singer Jeremy McKinnon's ode to growing old and the adjustments he's had to made while maturing on the road. ADTR is the only band I know that can successfully cross the boundaries between a band feeling reminiscent making songs for the radio (ironically they have a song on Bad Vibrations called "Turn Off The Radio") while turning around and starting mosh pits not even four minutes later.
Ironically, the one thing fans wanted more of on Bad Vibrations, bridge breakdowns, is what make me hold back from putting this effort over Homesick. While I love the occasional breakdown, it seems that in songs they force breakdowns in random spots to show off their hardcore roots. Then when the breakdown comes naturally in a few others, it just sounds cliche and unoriginal. Either McKinnon's screams save the breakdown from being repetitive or they try too hard to come off hardcore.
The production on Bad Vibrations is surprisingly not up to par with the usual ADTR album. There are moments where drummer Alex Shellnut's drums will warp out the guitars. or a few vocal tracks that are too low to even hear unless you use headphones. Either one instrumental track will have too much of something or too little with no in-between.
It's really refreshing to see ADTR finally come out swinging at arguably their hardest. Bad Vibrations is hard enough to satisfy the metal fans, while also having a few radio anthems that fans will make t-shirts out of and belt at college parties. They're right back at it again.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Notable Tracks:
"Exposed"
"Naivety"
"Paranoia"