Band: Inked In Blood
Title: Sometimes We Are Beautiful
Label: Facedown Records
Review By: JoshIVM
Tracklisting:
01. Call To Arms
02. Angel Of Lost Hopes
03. Altars
04. To Be Your One And Only
05. Instrumental
06. This Moment
07. Somewhere Familiar
08. With Devils
09. In The Wake Of The Loss
10. Paradise Regained
Members/Duties:
Joey Trump: Vocals
Matt McDonnell: Guitar
Steven Gosvener: Bass
Kelly Mullinix: Guitar/Vocals
Stephen Poole: Drums
Inked In Blood are yet another upstream from Strike First Records. After releasing a 5 song EP, they were brought up to Facedown and released 2005’s ‘Lay Waste The Poets’. The band is back in 2007 now releasing their sophmore album on the label and have matured their sound both in heaviness and in the melodies they interweave.
The album is not really trendy emocore though songs like “This Moment” might lead you to believe so. They’re more in the vein of melodic hardcore not so much unlike the glory days of .hopesfall and Life In Your Way. “Call To Arms” is a great start off song because it shows you what the band offers. The song begins with some faster paced melodic instrumentation and then Joey’s harsh yells come in. The band throws in a decent breakdown and then a catchy, sung chorus. It covers all the spectrums of their sound. “Altars” is another more screamo related song with it’s predominant clean vocals and upbeat rhythm. Many of the rest of the songs follow the sound pattern of “Call To Arms” with a good spectrum of sound while still maintaining a certain beauty in the melody. One song that did stand apart to me was “Somewhere Familiar” which right off the bat is clearly faster and heavier than the tracks around it. It has its more mellow sections but the first half charges ahead steadily.
The artwork is definitely a highlight. Rarely does Facedown branch out from Quiggle’s art but this time Sons Of Nero handled it and did a really good job. The booklet itself tells with pictures but you’ll have to pick it up to check it out I guess. (It’s on SON’s website in case you didn’t know)
Overall Rating: I have never been a huge fan of IIB and still can’t say that I am at that level, but I do enjoy them. It has nothing to do with their talent it’s simply the style they play. I liken them to Life In Your Way whom I also enjoy but don’t listen to that often. IIB have continued to improve over the years and this is by far their best effort and will hopefully gain them some more deserved recognition.(7.5/10)Standout Tracks: “Angel Of Lost Hopes”, “This Moment”
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Facedown Records
Buy: Facedown Records Store