TEAR OUT THE HEART – Violence

Label: Victory Records

Release Date: March 19, 2013

Rating 8.5/10

Reviewed by: Mike Hubbard

The folks at Victory Records have been busy signing new up and coming hardcore bands.  Tear Out The Heart, hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the latest.  TOTH’s sound is a blend that is full of hardcore and death metal, with sing-along pop-punk choruses and plenty of breakdowns.  Their debut full-length is due for release in the US on March 19, 2013 and features 11 songs clocking in at a healthy 40 minutes.  Its producer is a young up-and-comer as well, Caleb Shomo, ex-vocalist and keyboardist of Attack Attack!  The multiple aspects of their style keeps your attention while listening to the record, never sure where the music is going to turn next.  The opening number, “Dead By Dawn,” sets the formula that is followed by much, but not all, of the rest of the album. It features a pop-punk chorus reminiscent of Victory label-mate A Day To Remember, and includes the obligatory breakdown, as well as a sing-along anthem shouting “Time heals nothing.”  The formula continues with the second song, “Infamous Last Words” (performed in their first music video from the album), but they start to break away stylistically with the next tune, “Crucified.”  In it the intensity picks up, and while the chorus features clean vocalist/bassist Isaac Etter it is definitely less-poppy.  The overall feeling brings to mind Suicide Season – era Bring Me The Horizon.  The intensity continues to accelerate in the fourth number, “Undead Anthem,” which features producer Caleb Shomo as guest performer.  Emmure-like spoken words are an added musical element.  The homage to Emmure is seen again in the title track, “Violence,” which is arguably the hardest song on the album.  It also includes a pop-punk chorus and a breakdown that is, in the spirit of the song’s title, violent.  This track is probably the strongest blend of death metal and pop-punk on the album.

“Feed Me A Stray Cat” is the sixth track and continues the death metal verse, pop-punk chorus formula. It also includes a sing-along chorus “Bury us alive, we’re 6 feet deep and trying to live tonight.”  Dan Marsala, from the reunited Story of the Year, is featured on the next song, “Coffin Eyes.”  This track emphasizes the death metal elements of TOTH’s style, with no clean vocals.  The heavy side of TOTH continues to be featured in “Eternal Shadows,” which comes at you hard from the start, again reminding one of earlier Bring Me The Horizon.  “Closure” presents a change of pace where the tempo slows down, but the intensity remains.  You can feel the desperation in the vocals, with repeated shouts of “We were never friends” at the end.  The tempo picks back up with the next track, “Only Posers Die,” coming at you strong right from the start.  Lead vocalist Tyler Konersman is featured throughout with full death metal screeching vocals.  A quiet interlude is followed by intense slow breakdown with an abrupt ending, segueing into the final song, “Darker Tides.”  The album concludes much like it started, with a combo of death metal and pop-punk clean chorus, featuring a head-banging breakdown.  All in all Violence is a solid debut effort from Tear Out Your Heart.  Much like a multi-faceted diamond, every time you look at it from different angles you see something different, and you never get bored.  The instrumentals are not exceptional, but they are tight and are very effective at supporting and driving the vocals.  Fans of A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon should definitely check out Tear Out The Heart.  You won’t be disappointed.

Category: CD Reviews