Emo meets metal on the debut from Phoenix Mourning. Titled When Excuses Become Antiques, this young band blend brutal screams with catchy melodic vocals, sledgehammer rhythms, and plenty of crunchy riffs. Think of a more melodic Bleeding Through without the keyboards and you have a good idea of what to expect here. While after a listen or two I was scratching my head thinking that I've heard this all before, repeated spins told me otherwise. There are some memorable melodies here, like on the addicting "From Afar", a song that should appeal to the emo crowd but will leave the extreme metalheads wondering just what the hell is going on here. That in itself makes Phoenix Mourning somewhat of an enigma-what genre are they actually marketing When Excuses Become Antiques to? Honestly I'm not really sure, as this CD might be too heavy for the commercial rock crowd, and too melodic for the extreme fans. The end result though is an album brimming with catchy hooks and just enough brutality to keep things interesting. I can see these guys really catching on in the not too distant future, as they seem to have what it takes to appeal to a wide audience, but they may have to focus their sound a little to get there.
Track Listing
01. across twenty-six winters listen
02. contrast
03. niche'
04. one january morning
05. when the sky falls
06. from afar
07. a new decor
08. etched
09. the ornament
10. waiting for the king
11. my future actress
12. glass kiss
13. 12.5
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
