Just Like Vinyl was formed in the Spring of 2010 by the former front-man of Fall Of Troy, Thomas Erak. Similar to Fall Of Troy, Just Like Vinyl could be classified as progressive/experimental post-hardcore, however, they are not as technical. If you are expecting a copious amount of shredding, don’t get your hopes up too high. On August 28th, they are releasing their new album entitled Black Mass, and I suggest you check it out when it drops.
Black Mass is a bit more aggressive than Just Like Vinyl’s self-titled album which they released in 2010, but it still has its fair share of softer songs. “Bitches Get Stitches”, “Walk You Home”, and “Hours And Whiskey Sours” contain little to no screaming, while the lyrics in “Sucks To Be You”, “First Born”, “$$$”, and “Lucky Stars” are screamed for the majority of the track. The singing is absolutely fantastic and every track contains at least a few catchy lines. Some tracks are even catchy from start to finish!
As previously mentioned, I liked the singing on Black Mass very much, but the screaming failed to impress me the same way. At first, it really caught me off guard because I wasn’t expecting it. The screaming isn’t bad, but I think that it doesn’t fit as well as it should (for the most part) with the rest of the music. After a few listens, I still don’t love the screaming on Black Mass, but it has grown on me and it’s definitely passable.
The spectacular guitar leads are spread out nicely over the course of this 43-minute long album. The moments in which the guitarists’ true abilities shine through can be heard best on “Walk You Home”, “ATM”, and “$$$”. In my opinion, two of these, “Walk You Home” and “ATM”, are the strongest tracks on Black Mass. A few other noteworthy tracks are “Bitches Get Stitches” and “Pressure/Release”.
Prior to my first listen of Black Mass, I had never listened to or heard of Just Like Vinyl. While Black Mass didn’t blow me away, it has helped Just Like Vinyl gain a new fan. It’s definitely a solid release that I can see myself listening to quite a few more times. I just wish there was a little bit less screaming.
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