Sheffield, England, the home of one of the most determined bands in the metalcore genre. While She Sleeps is the band I am referring to. Their forthcoming full-length album, This Is The Six, is set to release on August 13th. Coincidentally, August 13th will also be the day where an album lays waste to an entire community. And yes, that album is This Is The Six.
On their previous release, The North Stands For Nothing, they showed a lot of promise. Songs like the title track, “Crows”, and “Proud Of The Demon In Me” were some of the best that I had heard from a band in the melodic metalcore/hardcore genre, but While She Sleeps still managed to slip my mind. Thankfully, after hearing their first single (“Dead Behind These Eyes”) off the new album, I was reminded of why and how this band impressed me so much. Ironically, “Dead Behind The Eyes” is one of the weaker tracks on the album, but not by far. On most albums, there are a few songs that are much weaker or stronger than the rest of the album, but that’s different on This Is The Six. All of the songs except the instrumental entitled “The Chapel” and the closing track, “Reunite”, are very strong and it’s difficult to pick favourites.
The main factor I used to determine which tracks I liked most was the guitar. The vocals and drumming are well above average, but the guitar is even more astounding. There are several tracks that are incredible without the great guitar parts, but there are a few that stand out more than the others on This Is The Six because of the guitar leads and riffs. “False Freedom”, “Satisfied In Suffering”, “Seven Hills”, “Be(lie)ve”, and “Love At War” are a few of the tracks that come to mind. In addition to the riffs, there are a few songs that have spectacular solos too. They are “Our Courage, Our Cancer”, “Until The Death”, and “The Plague Of A New Age”.
“False Freedom” picks up where the first track, “Dead Behind These Eyes”, left off. The intro tapping riff is one of the best moments on the entire album and it lasts for a good portion of the song. Later in the song, there is a bit of a buildup, then you hear “force feeding false freedom” repeated several times with layered “WHOA”s.
The third track, “Satisfied In Suffering”, contains a riff that is very reminiscent of old As I Lay Dying. I love hearing riffs like the one heard on this track because it makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of the later days of elementary/early days high school when I was just getting into this style of music. The next track is one of the most upbeat on This Is The Six. “Seven Hills” is loaded with good leads and riffs throughout the entire song and the gang-chanted chorus of “I know, there’s people in the places I’ve been who I know, I’ll never find again” is catchier than I could have imagined.
The next two tracks that I will mention (“Be(lie)ve” and “Love At War”) are probably my favourites. “Be(lie)ve” was initially released by While She Sleeps about a year ago and it was my favourite track by the band up to that point, however, the album version is even better. The guitar is much more up front and it sounds like they altered a few of the riffs which made the entire song sound huge. The piano intro of “Love At War” also makes that entire song sound huge. Tack on the immaculate guitar leads and what you’re left with is one of the best songs to come out this year.
After several listens, I have come to the conclusion that This Is The Six is a must-have album for 2012. It has everything that a fan of the genre could ask for and more. If you were a fan of their previous work, you will love the new album, and if you weren’t a fan, you will still love the new album.
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For Fans Of: With Life In Mind, Last Witness, Counterparts
