Having not been at all impressed with the bands debut full length release ‘Let It Enfold You’, I decided to give the band the benefit of the doubt and see what they had come up with this time around. There has been a clear improvement here and although at times you can almost pinpoint the exact second at which the band will unleash another scream, it’s actually a fairly interesting album to listen to. There is a lot less screaming here than there was before and although some screaming is still evident – it would seem that the band have decided to opt for a more melodic approach this time around and I think that they have made a smart move in doing so. Screaming is no longer at the forefront of the bands sound, taking a backseat in favour of allowing the band to show that they can in fact sing songs properly from start to finish and do it well. ‘Still Searching’ is by no means the most exciting album to have emerged from 2006, however at the same time it’s far from being amongst the most disappointing of efforts of the year and should well please fans of the melodic hardcore genre. If you thought the bands debut album was good then you will no doubt love this one at it is far greater an album that its predecessor.
The album starts off well with ‘The Rapture’, a track which sets the mood nicely by introducing us to the bands new, more melodic sound. This isn’t the strongest of openings you possibly could have asked for and is by no means what I would consider to be one of the best tracks on the album however it is a decent offering nonetheless in which at no point do the band digress into the screaming world of old. It is in track two, ‘Bonecrusher’ however where the band start to come alive and step it up a gear, showing some strong guitar work, fine vocals, and powerful drum beats. For this album the band entered the studio with a new guitarist in the form of Heath Saraceno and this certainly shows in the bands sound which has clearly changed since their 2004 debut. I think the addition of the ex Midtown man has been an extremely positive change for the band as they certainly seem far more well adjusted in what they are doing with their music now.
There are some really strong moments on this album and although there are also a few weak points; I would suggest that the good outweighs the bad here meaning that ‘Still Searching’ is an album well worth having in your collection. Tracks such as ‘Calling All Cars’ and ‘To All The Crowded Rooms’ really show the bands ability to pen a fine track and show that they are more than capable of recording a catchy song that is exciting to listen to and really captures your attention with strong lyrics, some creative licks, and an impressive vocal styling. You therefore have to question just what they were thinking with ‘Let It Enfold You’ which really was a sub-standard offering, when this album shows that they are actually a good band and are in possession of great musical ability and talent. I think it all does come back to the addition of Heath Saraceno as this album really does have a different feel about it to their last and has far superior guitar work and musicianship in general. ‘To All The Crowded Rooms’ sees the band screaming, however it is not just screaming for the sake of it and actually works well in the track, something which they did not seem to have mastered with their last offering.
Whilst once considered by me to be a generic outfit with very little to offer, Senses Fail have more than shown their worth with ‘Still Searching’, and although it is unlikely to ever become one of my favourites it does provide strong evidence that the band are good at what they do even if a little predictable at times. I think we are still yet to hear the best from Senses Fail, however with this second album they certainly seem to have come on in leaps and bounds and definitely prove themselves to be a decent band with some strong ideas which is more than I could say of them at the time of release of ‘Let It Enfold You’. Senses Fail have certainly grown in maturity and have therefore released a far more competent offering which although has its questionable moments, it does show that the band have a talent for what they do and could well become one of the leading names in the scene should they continue to progress at such a rate and carry on progressing as a band as I feel they can. This album will by no means be everyone’s idea of a good record, however they have shown great signs of progression as a band here and should be applauded for this if nothing else.
Label: Vagrant
Release Date: 23rd October 2006
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
