Band: Continuance
Title: Carry Ourselves
Label: Rise Records
Release Date: April 27, 2010
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Distaste For Truth
3. As You Break
4. The Greatest Need
5. No Compass
6. Ever Leaving
7. Swept Away
8. Over The Years
9. No Assurance
10. Once We’ve Seen
11. Beneath The Concrete
12. The Dream Within
13. We Arm Ourselves
Have you ever thought to yourself, “if only these two bands would combine forces then the offspring would be the bomb”? I have been a fan of Means and Saints Never Surrender for quite some time and was stoked to see them join forces and form Continuance. Let just say that is where my joy ended. For whatever reason I was, just not impressed with this album at all.
This five-piece hardcore collage of Means and Saints Never Surrender just did not do it for me. I love the hardcore punk music they punch out. It is top notch; however, the vocals just did not do it for me in my opinion. They seam forced and stressed from the first to last track. They are growing on me with each listen, but they are still not at a point where I would say they are my favorite part of the album. I hate to be this critical of Continuance, but I cannot be honest with myself and glance over them at the same time.
Musically, I really liked the album. I loved the guitars and drums on the album because there are some excellent riffs on this album. I was expecting a more hybrid sound coming out of this album but instead I hear more of the Saints Never Surrender sound coming through, which is not a bad thing.
Despite my disappointment in Carry Ourselves, a few bright spots to the album are worth mentioning. Four songs really captured my attention and made me believe that Continuance truly can live up to the hype that is surrounding them. These songs in my opinion encapsulate the best that Continuance has to offer with the two styles. The songs are “The Greatest Need,” “No Compass,” “Swept Away,” and “Beneath The Concrete.” I really enjoyed the lyrics to “The Greatest Need” because they speak of looking beyond our own needs to others, “Will you understand you’re not the only ones who suffer / And suffer we will / The cutting wind has its way of killing hope when its so cold / We wonder as we sit around could we be meant for something greater / There’s no hope for change when we cant see the needs of others before our own.”
Overall: this is an OK release. I do however believe that Continuance has a great future ahead of them. There are enough bright spots on this album that make you believe better things are to come. Despite my disappointment in this album, there will undoubtedly be those that love this album.