REVIEW: For All I Am – “Skinwalker” (2013)
Artist: For All I Am [Facebook]
Album: “Skinwalker”
Tracklist:
- For Too Long I’ve Let It Haunt Me
- Make History.
- Oppressor
- Living Dead
- Eye of the Storm
- Mind Trap
- I, Artificial
- Limbo
- Forgotten
- The Strange Daze
After big tours, big shows and plenty of practice over the past two years, For All I Am are releasing their first full length record – “Skinwalker.” Since the release of “Lone Wolf,” For All I Am have seemed to have “rise to power,” attracting a strong fan-base, in most cases surprising for a band that’s only been around for just a few years. For All I Am are proud of their new record, proving this by going so far as to release the entire album for free streaming and listening to the public – a truly admirable thing for a band to do, if I do say so myself. After taking two years to hone their skills on tour and in the studio, the much awaited “Skinwalker” creeps closer and closer to its release date, keeping fans on the edge of their seat. No more hold up, here’s my review of “Skinwalker” by For All I Am:
The Good:
Pulling out all the stops on their sophomore release, For All I Am have definitely one-upped themselves this time around. Instead of just putting out the same album twice, or just re-recording a bundle of old songs, they’ve put out a real “new” album, with new tricks and everything. The clean vocals are less scarce, and have greatly improved, and the screams have been fine-tuned since “Lone Wolf,” that’s for sure – much better range, and a better overall sound for the screams as well. They simply do “sound better,” a vague way to put it but, after a few listens, I’m sure you’ll understand. Aside from this, they’ve also upgraded their guitar arsenal; instead of chugging and hitting breakdowns throughout the entirety of a song, then a few melodies and returning to the same thing, they’ve actually incorporated well put-together and well played guitar pieces in this release – oh, but don’t worry; there are breakdowns, and sweet ones at that. Also, the melodies have improved as well – the clean vocals accompanying the melodies, the ambient surround sound, just bring their songs to life. I’m so proud of these boys for bringing out more clean vocals – I know, I sound so snobby with the clean vocals – the lack of cleans was my biggest complaint on “Lone Wolf,” and they’ve definitely heard myself and others on this, it would seem.
The Bad:
At times, the melodies and breakdowns sound so alike between songs that you actually realize you’ve heard these exact things before. Also, the chugging, which – maybe it’s just me – has seemed to be a bit of a trademark for For All I Am, is still a bit common, and causes some songs to sound a bit like one-another, not to be taken in a good way either, here.
Overall:
Great album, indeed. Some people might disagree, some people might say I just “like everything,” but – let me just say, I’m one hundred percent honest in my reviews. This album is a stand-out among many others in the genre, even, to me, beating out The Plot In You’s “Could You Watch Your Children Burn,” an album I was dying to get my hands on ever since I heard the single – trust me, that’s a lot of admiration going out to “Skinwalker.” This album is a must-have to put in with your collection, even with its flaws. No too intense flaws, all being very tolerable and, at times, actually good to have – like I said, listen and you’ll understand.
Stand-Out Track:
“Forgotten”: Let me put it like this – when this song first started, I had to check just to make sure that I was still listening to For All I Am. This song hits hard – it honest-to-God made me think I was listening to some straight-up chaotic hardcore music like The Chariot. I was caught so off-guard, and once I gained back my awareness and got more into the song, the more I couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s the kind of heavy that’s catchy, sticks to you and makes you just want to jam out. I can’t wait for an opportunity to see For All I Am play, and I’d honestly scream my lungs out just to get them to play this song; definite mosh potential. When this song hits in concert, people will get hurt – watch out.
Closing:
Here, For All I Am have once again “done it.” “Lone Wolf” was a hit and, in turn, so was “Skinwalker.” Fans will be very pleased with this release, both old and new. It’s a bit of a new turn and twist for the band, this album – this overall style expressed in the album, but it’s a sound that, I believe, truly expresses For All I Am’s feelings and displays their talent. Maybe they were holding back with their first EP and just wanted to wait to showcase their talent on a larger scale. Maybe, but I guess we’ll never know – all I know is, they’ve done good. “Skinwalker” is currently streaming, the link to which can be found on the band’s Facebook, and is available for pre-order! The release date is January twenty-second, and is available to be pre-ordered through MerchNOW!
Rating: 9.7/10
For Fans Of: Your Memorial, The Color Morale, Adestria
