Project 86

Item: Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
Author: Justin Brinker

Songs To Burn Your Bridges By

(2004)

Reviewed by Justin Brinker

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Label Tooth & Nail RecordsDecapolisAugust 2004

alternative metal hard rock hardcore rapcore

For those of you that have followed Project 86 since the release of Drawing Black Lines, you are well aware of the ups and downs that have followed the band. Some of their fan base felt alienated or disappointed with the release of Truthless Heroes.

The band had expanded their sound and went in a more melodic direction, losing some of the brutality and edge that surrounded Drawing Black Lines. I never really got into Drawing Black Lines, but I did appreciate Truthless Heroes and thought it was a more mature and progressive effort than what they had put out in the past. Moving on to a major label took its toll on the band and eventually led to Atlantic letting them pack up and leave, freeing them to release their latest effort Songs To Burn Your Bridges By on Tooth & Nail Records.

The argument could be made that Songs To Burn Your Bridges By picks up where Drawing Black Lines left off. The opening track "Spy Hunter" finds the band harder and heavier than ever while vocalist Andrew Schwab screams, "We caught you plotting murder and now the tide is turning" in the chorus. The intensity presses on in "Oblivion" with the opening drum fill behind Schwab's spoken word, "A double minded one gazing into two reflections who cannot recognize the vessel or the messenger" before the guitar kicks in and it's a barrage of screaming and pulsating drumming and guitar work. Taking cues from Truthless Heroes the album's third song, "A Shadow On Me" is really the first time we hear any sort of melody and actual singing and it's the guitarist Randeath doing the singing, "can you see a shadow on me? Calling me to leave. Find in me a trace of you in all this tragedy" while Schwab echoes. We see the same formula used in "Safe Haven" and in "Say Goodnight To The Bad Guy", with the exception of Schwab speaking the vocals on the verses while the guitar plays clean underneath him.

Throughout the rest of the album it's the same structure for most of the songs, a spoken or screaming verse over top of a guitar riff or clean picking part before going into a huge chorus complete with gang vocals and screaming, with the exception of a few standout tracks. While this works really well for "Sioux Lane Spirits", "Circuitry", and "A Fruitless End Ever", the other tracks seemed to get lost in the shuffle and can get mundane. Another thing that really hurts this album is Schwab doesn't sing on this record, which leaves little room for a melodic hook to pull the listener in. Lyrically it is very strong, and Schwab does a good job at conveying the passion felt throughout the album.

Whether the topic is a vitriolic rant towards his former label "The Golden Gate Disaster" or a hopeful anthem like "Solace" where he writes, "and on this very day and on this very hill while the heavens are hushed in anticipation, beckoning we'll have ourselves a reckoning and all of the oppressed will greet you", it is definitely one of the strong suits. Musically it is much harder than their previous effort, and definitely gives older fans hope that miss the sound of their self-titled release and Drawing Black Lines. This is a strong release and shows signs that Project 86 is still progressing in their sound while not alienating their fans at the same time.

2.5/4