CD REVIEW: INDIRECTIONS – Clockworks

Label: InVogue Records

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: Mike Hubbard

Metalcore band InDirections released their debut full length album “Clockworks” on February 25.  The recent signees to InVogue records hail from Dallas, TX.  “Clockworks” has 10 tracks and clocks in (pun intended) at 41 minutes.  The quartet is led by vocalist Landis Daniels, who does both the clean and unclean vocals.  Kevin Franklin and Wes Edmonson fill the guitar duties as well as providing backing vocals, while Garrett Grothe mans the drums.

The disc opens with the title track, “Clockworks”.  It starts with a haunting electronic intro to set the tone for the song.  The track is also featured in the first music video from the album.  It stands as a solid single, and is very representative of the rest of the album, featuring fierce unclean vocals, introspective clean vocals, and blistering breakdowns.  The downside is that after you have listed to the opening track, you pretty much have heard the whole album.

The second number, “Enemies”, largely follows the same tried and true metalcore formula employed on “Clockworks”, even down to the haunting electronic intro.  However, “Enemies” is perhaps the best example of what I think is InDirections’ best asset; the vocal talents of Daniels.  The stylistic range he can deliver is remarkable.  “Enemies” opens with a Meshuggah-like growl, transitions to a more traditional metalcore shout, and then employs a transcendent clean styling in the chorus.  Daniels has an amazing instrument that makes InDirections worth watching.

Most of the rest of the album continues in that same vein.  It’s not bad, never boring, but at the same time not remarkable either.  A couple of highlights worth noting are the song “Breathless” which turns up the dial on the “heaviness” meter, and “Throne”, which has some of the most powerful vocals on the disk.

The last track, “Sleepless”, is also worth calling out.  It breaks out of the metalcore mold that cast the first nine songs.  It may be a stretch to call it a ballad, but is slows down the tempo and utilizes 100% clean vocals.  “Sleepless” demonstrates the softer side of the band, and they pull it off quite well. It is a good indication that there is more depth to the band than just typical generic metalcore, and gives me hope that as they mature and grow as a band there will be greater things to come for them.

Overall “Clockworks” is a solid debut.  The band shows some talent and promise, but definite room for growth if they want to stick out in the crowded metalcore scene.  At times I feel like the album is a bit over-produced, with a constant back-track of electronic noise that just isn’t always necessary.  I would love to see them perform live to get a better feeling of who they are.  If you are into metalcore, check them out for Daniels vocals.  It is worth the listen.

​https://www.facebook.com/InDirections

Category: CD Reviews