I keep going back to this. All three songs absolutely rock. Tbis doesn’t feel like nearly the departure Erase Me was for UO. This stuff seems very classic ACB to me. It doesn’t even feel all that accessible or straightforward. Kind of blown away by how intensely negative the reactions have been because I’m obviously hearing something entirely different.
Erase Me is mostly pretty great. These three songs are mostly pretty great. I’m either hearing entirely different songs than everyone else, or, as I’ve noticed happening more and more to me with bands, tastes are changing amongst a lot of older fans and they just don’t care for the sound anymore. Which should be okay, and just a “this isn’t for me anymore” but it comes out a lot more of the posts we’re seeing in this thread right now. I legit thought this song would sound like radio garbage from some posts in here...instead it sounds just like ACB always has with Cody doing the vocal lead on a heavier track. I think it’s also interesting that this is the first grouping of songs which isn’t mostly just shouting cleverly re-arranged scripture verses and is getting the most negative response from people. But that’s something else entirely.
I’ve enjoyed these singles so far. I do think they need to stop trying to invoke their previous sounds, though, and do more of what they did on C,NS & HoHW, which weren’t trying to adhere to any “sound” at all.
I have no issue with them changing their sound. In fact, it’s to be expected. But this just feels like a regression to me. Each of their records sound completely different but still have qualities that scream “As Cities Burn” and I just don’t hear that with these tracks. I find them bland and the guitarwork is so uninteresting and that’s something they have always excelled at so it’s weird to see that part of the songwriting to be so weak. But as I’ve said earlier, even if I heard these songs and they were by some other band, I’d still find them to be just as bad. Is it the worst stuff I’ve ever heard? No. Do I have any desire what so ever to listen again? No.
I’m obviously gonna listen to the record, I love these guys, but I’m not expecting much. I just hope there are at least a couple tracks that grab me
I wonder if an issue for people is that ACB went 3 for 3 on terrific records changing sounds with each one and now they’re putting out something that sounds a bit like all their previous sounds together. It’s lost its novelty perhaps, but it’s still pretty darn solid. Maybe not 5 star solid like their first three records, but if I get a 4 star ACB record after a ten year hiatus I’m content.
I’d be content with that too. I feel like y’all are overcomplicating the “why” of this. I just think they are genuinely bad songs.
the band was never that good to begin with IN MY OPINION. come now sleep is the only album i would say holds up as great IN MY OPINION
sorry i forgot i have to write "in my opinion" after every word i write so people know things are my opinion. itd be dismissive for me to say, for example, yall like these songs because your taste is bad. but thats not what i said at all
meh. the first album is cool but nothing special for the time or genre. the third album is boring as fucking sin. this band was never that much better than any of their peers. but these new songs are just embarrassing
well thats why its called an opinion i mean most bands from that era who have tried coming back in recent years have been terrible imo, and little of their back discogs i used to like has held up under scrutiny maybe shit just doesnt hold up to me the way it used to, idk
You don’t have to say that. I just don’t see anyone saying people not liking it were wrong. Just that they were not hearing as drastic of a sonic shift as those that were stating bad / terrible. Either way. I don’t give a shit. Just thought it was a silly rebuttal. Keep on keepin on
I think the disappointing thing about these is they aren't too different from the 2 released a few years ago that also seemed to draw a negative reaction here
It just is boring to me. There’s nothing interesting about these songs to me. It just feels like a massive regression from a band that did some incredibly interesting things prior and challenged their sound each album. Felt the same way about Underoath. Going from Disambiguation to Erase Me was a massive drop in quality for me. So far, going from HOHW to these songs has been incredibly disappointing.
This is exactly how I personally feel as well. I do feel like these new songs are less innovative for them than their past work was at the time, but otherwise I’m still really digging them. There’s a few vocal/lyrical moments on the new songs I’m not big on, but overall I hear a lot of similarities to HOHW. I certainly don’t hear the massive drop in quality others are, but that’s really what makes the subjectivity of taste so interesting.
finally listened, and it did nothing for me :\ really just think these guys are better with cody at the helm of the songwriting. i'll still check this out when its out though.