Review: Hell or Highwater – The Other Side
Artist: Hell or Highwater
Album: The Other Side
Rating: 10/10
For those of you who have been living under a rock, Hell or Highwater is the brainchild of Atreyu drummer, Brandon Saller. They released their debut album “Begin Again” in 2009 and it received some very high ratings. The band decided to re-issue the album this year and drop a couple new tracks and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”, which we originally heard when the band was first introduced. These boys have pushed through much hate and struggle and they’ve matured in the process. With the release of their new EP “The Other Side”, which sees a mostly softer side of the band, they truly have shown that. The EP is more ballad-like with less of a hard rock feel like we were used to from “Begin Again”. It truly shows “The Other Side” of the band you thought you knew. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Hell or Highwater is the brainchild of Atreyu drummer, Brandon Saller. They released their debut album “Begin Again” in 2009 and it received some very high ratings. The band decided to re-issue the album this year and drop a couple new tracks and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”, which we originally heard when the band was first introduced. These boys have pushed through much hate and struggle and they’ve matured in the process. With the release of their new EP “The Other Side”, which sees a mostly softer side of the band, they truly have shown that. The EP is more ballad-like with less of a hard rock feel like we were used to from “Begin Again”. It truly shows “The Other Side” of the band you thought you knew. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some downright whiskey shootin’, ass-shakin’ parts on this EP, but they are short lived so as to bring light to the more melodic side of the band. The album touches on the subjects of love, loss, heartache, deception and all the feelings that comes with it.
Take “Remember the Life and Not the Death” for instance, which is evident by the title that it’s a track about remembering what’s left behind when grieving about death. Death is a hard subject to cope with. harder still for some. A page in the book of life that don’t remember to take is that all that matters when we die is what we leave behind. “Shed a tear for the dead, remember the legacy they have left. For the time we have left, remember the life and not the death.” Possessions and wealth mean nothing when you’re gone. What does matter is the achievements you’ve accomplished and the impacts you’ve made on people’s lives. Live your life like there is no tomorrow and you will know true wealth and happiness. Then we have tracks like “Wrong” which is a track about deception in a relationship.
This track was the first to be released from the EP and speaks volumes about the content of it. It’s a track that will tug at heart strings, have you belting out at the top of your lungs and get stuck in your head at the most inopportune times. Put simply, this is a stand out track for sure.
I could sit here and talk about each and every track on this album, go on and on but I feel that track by tracks are becoming way too common in my field. So I will say this, each and every track has a place on the EP. Nothing is out of place and from start to finish it’s absolutely phenomenal! Go pick up your copy of “The Other Side” on August 6th and see what I’m talking about!
