Album Review: Evergreen Terrace - 'Almost Home'

14 October 2009 | 5:19 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Much anticipated release of 2009 lives up to hype.

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With the release of Wolfbiker and the successful signing to Metal Blade records in 2007, Evergreen Terrace have finally began to break the musical barrier they had been working towards since their inception almost ten years ago.  While arguably Wolf Biker was their Opus release, Almost Home does an admirable job of carrying the flag forward and should do an excellent job of extending their fan base. 

 

Since leaving Eulogy, the production of each Evergreen release has only gone up and up and no longer sounds like it was recording at the bottom of a drop dunny.  The first two tracks lay a solid foundation for the album to build on and still encompass the now trademark Evergreen energy.  I did however find it slightly humorous that Enemy Sex has a drum pattern that would not be unsuitable for anything off Wisconsin Death Trip from Static x.  Thankfully this is the only similarity between the two bands. 

 

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Almost Home should appeal to both old fans and new, with the pop culture influences still evident on tracks like God Rocky, Is This your Face and Mario Speedwagon.  Chaney’s cleaner vocal feats are also still prevalent on most songs, and while they become almost drone like and uninspiring in certain sections, when it works the result is amazing (check the start of the anthem We’re Always Losing Blood).  The eerie guitar work over the breakdowns makes for a much more interesting listen, as do the half time chorus’ prevalent towards the climax of most tracks.   

 

One of the most appealing aspects of this band is their ability to appeal to both metal and hardcore fans on the same level.  This could be due to the fact that while they are a hardcore band at heart, they are not constricted to this genre and are quite partial to experimentation as shown in “Failure to Operate”.

Almost Home is without a doubt one of the most perfectly rounded releases you are likely to hear this year, and there is a little something in each song for those who are after a heavier flavour.

01. Enemy Sex

02. Almost Home (III)

03. God Rocky is This Your Face?

04. We're Always Losing Blood

05. Sending Signals

06. Mario Speedwagon

07. Failure to Operate

08. Hopelessly Hopeless

09. The Letdown

10. I'm a Bulletproof Tiger

11. Not Good Enough