After a genre has seen its heyday with the mainstream listener, it's always sad to see a group arrive after the fad has almost passed. While groups like Thursday and Taking Back Sunday have established a fairly loyal fan base and continue to expand their style, new "clones" seem to pop up everywhere in attempts to woo listeners to their albums. Here is where Chasing Victory's debut EP, A Not So Tragic Cover-Up, comes into play. In fairly pathetic fashion, Chasing Victory blasts through five tracks of overdone and mundane emo/hardcore infused rock. The eighteen minutes of music goes by so quickly that nothing on the album ever grabs the listener's ear, and if it ever did, there's certainly not enough content there to hold one's attention very long.
I did notice one thing that is somewhat interesting. Picking through the nasal vocals of Adam Harrell, there is a scream very similar to Ilkka Viitasalo of the now defunct Swedish metal band, Selfmindead. Maybe if Harrell continued on that path, he could help carry the band into territory long vacated by Selfmindead.
Basically, what it comes down to is this: if Chasing Victory plans on a future beyond the Christian bookstore distribution that Mono Vs. Stereo will provide, the band should plan to stop wearing its influences on its sleeve so heavily and make music that will keep a listener coming back, listen after listen. What's here is boring and completely uninspired. So far, I'm not convinced there's much of a future here.
1 tock
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis October 2004Reviewed by Chaz MurphyChasing Victory is nothing all that special. The first song on this album sounded like a hybrid Lifetime (pre Jade Tree days) song, all the way down to the vocals but then the whole album changed. They are labeled as a band that blends emotional and hardcore music. There is nothing hardcore about this album. Just because someone screams on a few parts of an album with some double bass action in…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Len NashYes, yes, ok, ok. Blah, blah, blah. This is not really original, but it is good! So why whine over not being original? If it is good, it should not matter. Yes, emotic, screamo, hard edged emo is now "huge," but there really is no reason to dismiss a good band! No, I am not exactly into screamo slash the emotic hard edged musical stylings too much. Yet, ever since this band used to have the name…Similar sounding releases
2004EmeryThe Weak's End
2004Kill VeronaTrauma
2001Hey MercedesEverynight Fire Works
2003ChristiansenStylish Nihilists
2004The Felix CulpaCommitment
2000Green Olive TreeThings I Tried to Be
