REVIEW: With One Last Breath – “Wake the Dead” (2013)

Artist:  With One Last Breath [Facebook] [Twitter]

Album:  “Wake the Dead – EP”

Tracklist:

1. Down the Darkest Road
2. I’m Taking Over
3. Burn Out the Flame
4. I Taste the Poison
5. Wake the Dead
6. Until the End

After a long period of talking about both the idea of and the actual creation of a new record, the UK’s With One Last Breath are here to finally put patiently waiting fans at ease with their new EP, “Wake the Dead.”  This has been a long time coming, though it does feel longer than it has actually been, and With One Last Breath is here to show that, over time, they’ve done nothing but build up more talent and skill to put into recording this new piece of work.  Without any more build-up and introduction, here is my review of “Wake the Dead”:

The Good:

This recording truly shows that these boys have amassed quite a good load of skill and talent, not to say they didn’t begin with any though – this is a clear improvement from their first release, their self-titled EP released in two-thousand ten.  They show improvement on many different levels:  on one hand, their music seems to be more fueled by emotion, more powerful and heartfelt – the meaning seems more clear and understandable, through both their words and the sound of the music itself.  As well, they’ve given new life and rebirth to the tracks that have been rerecorded, and kept that energy going in the new songs, with their “new approach” they seem to be taking on in this record, mixing together different genres such as rock, metalcore and, of course, post-hardcore.  This is truly a good release, and does make up for, in a way, the seemingly long wait for this release.  Another plus here is that the production is great, far better than that of anything else put out by this band – the music is clear and everything doesn’t sound so jumbled or distorted.

The Bad:

I, as both a fan and someone deeply enthused by music, am really disappointed in the fact that the biggest chunk of this record is that the songs, for the most part, are rerecordings of songs from their debut EP.  Of course, they do improve the sounds of each track, as I stated before, but I had truly hoped for much more new material.  Also, it was a tad bit of a letdown that this was simply an EP, as I, if I’m not mistaken, recall the band talking about having a full-length record on the way.  I could be wrong, or maybe the band was unable to get it all recorded – possibly, they might just not have been able to release all of the music due to some sort of management or label problem, but nonetheless, it just isn’t what I, or possibly other fans, expected.

Overall:

This is a good EP, a vast improvement from their first as I’ve stated.  This EP improves from past work from the band in several ways that I’ve pointed out, and this makes me happy, truly.  I’m glad to hear better versions of their past songs, honestly, but it might have been better if each were released individually, or something, and the EP had been all new tracks.  Heck, it would have been better if they released a full-length that included the old tracks – much better, but oh well.  I’m sure, in the future, we’ll have much more material from these stars in the making.

Stand-Out Track:

“Until the End”:  This song seems to broadcast more feeling and emotion than all the rest, but I’m not sure if it’s the words, or the music itself.  Constantly remarking, “This is not the end,” a song seeming to be about not giving up and having hope, even when things seem dark and completely hopeless.  As well, this song is backed up by the good mixing of heavy riffs and chugs and clear, joyous and heart-warming soft pieces – the two are mixed together to make this great, ear-pleasing track what it is.

Closing:

Although I was disappointed a few times by this record, on accounts that might simply be personal reason I should get over, this is a great EP worth much praise and glory, and truly shows how much work this band puts into its music.  They’ve put all they have into this EP, as they have on everything, whether it be their music, shows or their fans.  This band’s future is looking great, and I expect to hear even more great music from them – maybe they’ll even top themselves.  The direction this band is going in, I’m sure they’ll have a few surprises in store for their fans, and won’t disappoint.  “Wake the Dead” is available on February twenty-fifth through Small Town Records and can be picked up on iTunes – buy it and enjoy!

Rating:  8.9 / 10

For Fans Of:  Glamour of the Kill, Yashin, Shadows Chasing Ghosts