GRENADES
HEAVEN IS EMPTY
RELEASE DATE: 2013
GENRE: POST HARDCORE
LABEL: RED COBRA RECORDS
RATING: 6/10
Grenades’ first release on Red Cobra Records is Heaven is Empty, but empty describes a lot of the album. By the time the album is over, it has felt unremarkable, like something that has already been recorded a thousand times.
Heaven is Empty clocks in at around 35 minutes, but it feels longer than that. The songs all bleed together, making the album feel like one very long track. The riffs are uninspired, the vocals sound like a rip off of Being As An Ocean, and the songs have nothing catchy about them; this album could be a lot of post hardcore bands.
The album does have nice production, and everything is well blended and clear. The problem lies in the actual music; the riffs sound like everything any post hardcore band has every written, and the vocals just sound forced. They seem to want to convey a sense of emotion, but it just feels flat, partially due to the subpar blending of yelling and screaming. Two of the tracks clock in at over four minutes, and one nearly six. These songs drag, and, unfortunately, the longest song on the album is also its conclusion, which leaves the listener feeling like the album ended on a flat note.
Heaven is Empty just feels uninspired and forced throughout the album. Grenades played well, but the writing feels cookie cutter and generic. Grenades is not a bad band, but they are a band that is in need of a new source of inspiration. Heaven is Empty is an uneventful romp through albums that have already been done, and done better, in the past.
Vince B-
Note: I will be out of town from June 21-28, so I will most likely be unable to post new reviews in that time period. I apologize for any inconveniences for bands who submit material for review, for it will take me a few days to catch up when I return. Thanks, Vince.
