Escape the Fate – Ungrateful

 

Band: Escape the Fate
Album: Ungrateful
Record Label: Eleven Seven Music
Release Date: 13th May 2013
Reviewed By: Craig

Track Listing:

  1. Ungrateful
  2. Until We Die
  3. Live Fast, Die Beautiful
  4. Forget About Me
  5. You're Insane
  6. Chemical Love
  7. Picture Perfect
  8. Risk it All
  9. Desire
10. One for the Money
11. Fire It Up

For Fans Of: Motionless In White, Metal Core, Post Hardcore

Stand Out Tracks: Ungrateful, Until We Die, Risk It All, Desire

'Ungrateful' is Escape the Fates fourth studio album. It also happens to be the band's second album that has been produced by John Feldmann who also produced the bands second album 'This War Is Ours'. It is also the first album without bassist Max Green, and features his replacement TJ Bell (ex-Motionless In White) and now full-time member Michael Money on rhythm guitar.

Now I will tell you straight up that I am not a fan of Escape the Fate, I don't mean this in the 'I don't like them' sense, I mean that I haven't actually got around to hearing them yet. I have heard of them because of the Ronnie Radke background which is something the band may have lurking around them for some time yet but this is my first listen to them.

{AF}

This is one of my favourite ways to open an album and has grabbed my attention immediately.

{/AF}

So, while losing my Escape the Fate virginity (that sounds wrong on so many levels) I will also provide you with a review from a fresh set of eyes (or ears) if you will.

The first song which happens to be the title track just hits you upside the head like a ton of bricks from the outset – pummeling drums, death style vocals and nice crunchy riffs. This is one of my favourite ways to open an album and has grabbed my attention immediately. The song isn't all death though, it has its melodic elements too.

The next track is 'Until We Die' and at this point I am really loving the intro which kicks into Craig Mabbitt shouting "Until We Diiieeee", this song is really melodic with the right mixture of screamo/metalcore vocals for me. I really like the keyboard section which leads into a really good solo, a solo that wasn't expected but is really appreciated by me.

"Live Fast, Die Beautiful" sounds to me like this is one they want to get onto the mainstream radio stations. It is a lot more commercialised than the previous two songs. Whether this was intentional or not, we will see.

Now, as you may have seen by my previous reviews, I am not a metalcore, deathcore or screamo lover. I have always said that they had the ratio of scream vocals to melodic vocals the wrong way round in that the scream was to domineering. I belived that if the ratio had been reversed then I would like the genre a lot more. Now I know that really contradicts what the individual genres are all about but that was my view, my opinion and my belief and I am really happy to hear that Escape The Fate have more melodic style vocals to scream/death because in my opinion this is whole lot better to listen to.

I am not saying this album is perfect, it does have its flaws in that a lot of the songs sound a little to commercialised, but it is a good album and although I am still not converted to the genre, this an album that I will certainly be happy spending my hard earned money on and dare I say it, has brought me a step closer to liking the genre.

Score 7.5 out of 10

Readers album score: {extravote 1}