Anam Cara, the offspring of former Underoath guitarist Octavio Fernandez, accomplished what it set out to do with their music: bring a melody to metalcore. This four-song EP showcases heavy vocals—a scream not death or black metal, but more punk or hardcore—with solid lyricism from vocalist Ashton Goggans. The best part of this Florida quintet's release, however, is its musicianship. The guitars flow melodically, seamless in its mayhem to major key exchanges, vocals icing the top of the cake (but don't look for any singing here). Anam Cara goes from beautiful chords to ripping metal in seconds, doing so fluently. Some of the production quality could be bettered (occasionally the guitars sound like they were recorded poorly), but this doesn't take away from the record. Look forward to a diverse, yet satisfying, metal-emo hybrid—and a full-length release from these guys in the future.
Editors' ratings — Doug 4/5, David 3/5
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis November 2004Reviewed by Ben BishopSigned to Strike First, a subsidiary of Facedown Records, Anam Cara assume the burden of proving they are not just another cookie cut of the soft, predictable dough from which endless bands on those labels seem to have been baked. Sure, everybody likes Shockwave because they wear ski masks on stage, but please explain to me why half the Facedown bands deserve to be paid money for the aural…
