Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Keep Your Eyes Shut Blame Declassified Hollow Chains Out For Justice Die For Nothing Burn It Down Like Gasoline Terminal Hope Dies Release Date: July 21, 2017 Label: Victory Records Website: www.facebook.com/ShatteredSunBand |
Marcos Leal - Vocals Daniel Trejo - Guitars Jessie Santos - Guitars Joseph Guajardo - Bass
Robert Garza - Drums Henry Garza - Keyboards
Musically, there aren't any major differences from the first album to be found. It's straightforward metalcore like you would expect. The influences of All That Remains and Killswitch Engage are on great display throughout. Things are off to an explosive start on "Keep Your Eyes Shut" with blazing riffage dominating the verses and a captivating chorus, both of which are prevalent on the record. Other examples that contain catchy and memorable choruses are "Blame", "Hollow Chains", "Out For Justice" and "Burn It Down". There isn't any originality to be found, but these tracks still provide an enjoyable listening experience. There are plenty of fretboard workouts and melodic showcases from Daniel Trejo and Jessie Santos that take centre stage as much as Marcos Leal's barking vocals. The same can be said about the drum work from Robert Garza.
From start to finish, the songs are energetic but a few of the songs seem to mirror each other. There's very little variation to be found, which is one of the things that lets the album down. Every song follows the formula of aggressive verses and melodic choruses. Sometimes I found myself thinking: "Didn't I just hear this song?". Examples of this would be "Declassified", "Die For Nothing" and "Like Gasoline". They aren't terrible, but they all sound a little similar to each other. If the band included a bit more variety, the album would've been a bit better. Aside from this minor flaw, I can definitely say that The Evolution Of Anger is a better album than Hope Within Hatred. The band continues to push messages of positivity in the lyrics, but the musicianship has been taken up a step. If you were a fan of Hope Within Hatred and you've been a follower of Shattered Sun since the early days or if you just love metalcore, this album should live up to your satisfaction.
Highs: "Keep Your Eyes Shut", "Hollow Chains", intricate and intense musicianship
Lows: Certain songs sound similar to each other.
Final Rating: 7/10