Album Review: Decyfer Down's The Other Side of Darkness

Decyfer Down has had an interesting history. The only original members since the band first form are the two guitarist and everyone has changed since their first Album, End of Grey (Which is a fantastic album). Their album before this one, Scarecrow, was not really impressive to me and it felt like the band lost what made them stand out. Their new album, The Other Side of Darkness, that released earlier in this month reminds me of what makes them stand out and that they haven't lost that element. I was almost in tears when hearing this album for the first time.

The guitar work is the best part of this album. It is the low tuning and heavy riffs that really made their first album stand out to me. It gives me a new sense of headbanging music that I could not sit still while listening, but still was not afraid to soften itself in songs where it needed it.

The singer has finally found his element. Scarecrow felt weak because it felt like the vocalist was trying too hard to be someone else, and not use his own vocal talent. He learned his lesson! His voice now adds kind of a smooth, Southern Rock style to go with the heavy guitars and it surprisingly complements it in the best way possible.

Bass and Drums also stand out and make the rhythm just as important to the mix. So many young bands forget that a bassist and drummer (or lack thereof) can make or break a band. These new members know what they are doing and they truly stand out on their own.

As an added bonus: They did an acoustic version of one of my favorite song from their first album for this one at the very end. It felt like a beautiful tribute to members that left the band over the years.

Final Verdict: 9/10! The reason it isn't perfect is because the Christian message the band shares may not appeal to everyone, but I can't pick a song I didn't like. Definitely check it out!

Album Review: Devour the Day's S.O.A.R

When a band is still young, they can either develop into something unique to their genre or fade into the rest of the others because they don't have anything that stands out about them. Sadly, a band I had hope for still hasn't found that thing that makes them unique.

You can try to argue that a new band takes two albums to do that, but bands like Breaking Benjamin, RED, and even Flyleaf has had something that made them stand out on their first album and have developed that further. Devour the Day has yet to find that thing with their second album, S.O.A.R.

It is 10 songs and only 2 of them sound different from the others. That is something that really needs attention. This is a hard rock band and I got bored listening to them.

The guitar work is good rhythm, but nothing special about lead. Their isn't a guitar riff or even a solo that stands out and with that it all fades together. Drums and bass hold the beat, but that is it.

The lyrics aren't even interested. They use analogies that have already been used and nothing is really that interesting with the writing. If Devour the Day doesn't want to fade into obscurity, they need to change it up and make themselves stand out. Right now, they aren't doing that.

Final Verdict: 5/10. Sadly average for a band that really needs to find something that can make them stand out.

Songs I liked: Lightning in the Sky, Save Yourself
Songs I don't Recommend: Step Aside, Quicksand, S.O.A.R