Band: A Bullet For Pretty Boy
Title: Revision:Revise
Label: Artery Recordings/Razor &Tie Records
Release Date: November 9, 2010
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. The Deceiver
2. Revision:Revise
3. Decisions
4. Patterns
5. Only Time Will Tell
6. Voices And Vessels
7. Tides
8. Windows
9. Vita Nova
10. I Will Destroy The Wisdom Of The Wise
A Bullet For Pretty Boy is a five-piece post-hardcore/screamo band out of Texas that is about to release their second album and first full-length titled Revision:Revise on Artery Recordings. I was not the biggest fan o f their first album, but I have really enjoyed their current effort.
I first must say that the production of Revision:Revise is incredible. The press sheet for the album did not mention who produced Revision:Revise, but who ever it was, they did an outstanding job. ABFPB utilizes some electronic distortion and stringed effects such as violins in a good deal of the tracks on Revision:Revise. Musically, the drums really stood out for me. They are brutal and tight. The guitars are good as well, but the drums really stand out for me on the album. The special effects and keys add an ambient feel to the album as a whole and did not distract from the music or vocals, which tends to be the case in most circumstances. Ambient effects tend to turn me off because they usually mellow out the whole song or they just don’t fit into the track/album at all. ABFPB does a great job of using the ambient effects to disrupt the tempo of the tracks and keep things interesting. They do a great job of slowing things down for part of the track and then transition immediately into some brutal drums and guitars.
Vocally, ABFPB gives you a pretty equal dose of screams and clean vocals. The screams are deep and brutal, and the clean vocals are more on the pop side but fit in well with the music. In some of the tracks on Revision:Revise the clean vocals come across as whiney such as “Decisions” and “Windows.” But for the most part I really liked the clean vocals. Vocalist Danon Saylor has a great voice for screaming and singing. I was really impressed with his range and his ability to go from some slower clean vocals immediately into some harsh screams. The lyrics also have some undeniable Christian undertones and a few of the tracks mention God. In short, after listening to the lyrics you definitely know whom ABFPB put their hope and faith in.
My favorite track on Revision: Revise is “I Will Destroy The Wisdom of the Wise.” The track starts off kind of slow and builds into some extremely aggressive guitars, drums, and screams. The message of the song is really good as well. In the slow build up with Danon singing, “I can’t look at what we’ve done / And make it all ok / All hope is found in you / We know it’s found in you / Take us and let us see / All we need is to see.” This track encompasses all of what ABFPB has to offer.
My only complaints with the albums are some of the whiney vocals in a few of the tracks and the other was that some of the tracks do tend to sound alike. Despite this, Revision:Revise is definitely one of the better post-hardcore/screamo albums put out this year and something they should be extremely proud of. This album is definitely a strong 7.
Overall: this is a very solid album. A Bullet For Pretty Boy mixes in some ambient effects with singing and screaming that give the album a unique touch and sets them apart from most of their peers. If you like soft clean vocals and harsh, aggressive screams then do yourself a favor and buy this album from A Bullet For Pretty Boy. You won’t be disappointed.
RIYL: I Am Alpha and Omega, We Came As Romans, blessthefall
