SHREDnews

By: Ashley Pagano

The Constant released on February 16^th, from none other than Story Of The Year, the band from St Louis, Missouri. The Constant is the group’s fourth big album to date. Well, the long awaited album is here, but the real question is if it will live up to their past songs/albums that they are most known for.

The first track is a quick attention grabber, with the sounds of children singing “don’t take this world away from me”. Go figure that the track is called “The Children Sing”. Personally, I really found this song to be an awesome way to get the album started. It can be interpreted in many different ways, but it’s obvious that a lot of work, and thought was put into the composition of this song. The children’s voices are a nice, and different touch to it. It leads in to “The Ghost Of You And I” of which the guitar sounds absolutely incredible in. It starts off a little more intense, building you up, but sort of lets you down in the verses, with a bit of a boring, and uninteresting chorus. I was a little disappointed with this song, but still had hope for the rest of the album.

“To The Burial” was the first song the band released from the album, for a little sneak peak to what was coming. It really built up the anticipation for the album. The rock sound that Story Of The Year is known for is there, and the screams add a lot to it as well. The song makes you just want to jump around and scream because it builds up so much adrenaline when listening to it. Changing it up was “Remember A Time” with a little bit of a different sound at the beginning, but this time, the verses have a nice melody and overall sound. I especially like the lyrics “as the storm blows over I know I’ll be alright”. It’s an optimistic, positive song! The guitar melody is the best part here because it really carries the song.

“Ten Years Down” has a good beat, solid sound, and unpredictable lyrics. The chorus this time is a bit more intense, and the drumming is incredible. Again, the writing of the song is really well done. Props go to the songwriting talent in the band! “Eye For An Eye” is another hard rock song, bringing the album to a close. This time, I couldn’t understand most of the lyrics, and the ones I could hear didn’t really have any significant meaning, or stand out, but that could just be me. Maybe someone else will connect to it in their own way.

Overall, I think the album was definitely a success, but I was a little disappointed for some of the tracks. I think it started off in the right direction but nothing was different. It’s not that the band needed a change, or that anything was wrong in the first place, just that there was nothing to really keep me listening. That’s not to say that the CD is a total disappointment in my book, because the songs that I enjoyed, were incredible. It definitely has it’s ups and downs, but the band is still going strong!

For Fans Of: Silverstein, Senses Fail, Escape The Fate

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Recommended Tracks: The Children Sing, To The  Burial, Ten Years Down