"I Am" by "Texas in July" review

'Texas In July' is a metalcore band from Pennsylvania. They are one of the youngest bands in the local scene with the band member's ages ranging from 16-18. 'I Am' is their much-anticipated full length album, released in July, 2009.

'I Am' is a loud, deep and heavy album. The songs are fast-paced and the drums really shine throughout the album. Of course, with most metal-core bands, the vocals are little more than growling but the lyrics can be very strong and powerful. Such as “I am the fire, the wind, and the sea,” in Elements. The band shouting the lyrics in 'Elements' is also something to look out for. The growling and strong lyrics add to the heaviness of the band. The drummer is really the highlight of this album, his drumming really emphasizes what the vocalist is saying and the beat goes well with the songs.

The guitarists on the other hand are less impressive. The bass you can barely hear at all and the guitar playing, while good, does not surpass the playing of the drummer. However, during the last 30 seconds or so of 'Father Time' you do get to hear the guitar and with just the drums accompanying it, the guitarists really show their stuff.

The first half of the album really seems to flow. This is a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that the songs really set the mood that the band is trying to impose. The bad thing is that the songs all sound somewhat the same. Some tracks just sound like one long song.

“I Am Yours” is an interesting song. Sitting half-way through the album, it certainly catches you by surprise. An acoustic instrumental, something you don't usually expect from a metal-core band, the pace is slow and the music is very pretty. Again, this is both a good and a bad thing. Tucked away between the metal songs, this calmer, quieter song is a nice little treat. But to more metal fans, they might view this as boring and too slow. “I Am Yours” certainly takes away the anger that you felt from the previous songs but as soon as it's over, it all comes flooding back. However, this is one of the points where the guitarists really shine. They are playing something out of their normal genre and they are doing a good job of it.

For a band with such young members, this album has shown a lot of promise and it will hopefully get even better as they age.

New review and blog post!

Yeah, haven't posted here in a while. But TheComedown wanted me to write a review of a metal-core band so I did! It's kinda short because I've never really listened to metal-core stuff nor have I reviewed music before. So hopefully it's ok.