Saints Never Surrender Brutus

The debut LP from Saints Never Surrender, Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst was a frustrating listen. On one hand, there were the hints at dabbling in some of Shai Hulud's forward-thinking take on melodic hardcore, giving rise to the cynical hope that maybe contemporary hardcore wasn't a fucked-to-death carcass baking in a desert of mediocrity. On the other hand, there were the incessant chugging breakdowns and the shoddy production and other songwriting missteps that really displayed how green the band actually was. Enter Brutus, Saints Never Surrender's sophomore album. And in the context of the execrable releases from both Christian and hardcore bands this year, it's a breath of fresh air. Take note, pseudo-hardcore wannabes and lyricists that care more about their message than writing a decent song: here's a group of kids that actually know what they're doing. First of all, the production is very well executed compared to their previous effort. Clear enough to hear all the guitarwork, which is much more dynamic and prominent this time around, (with the adolescent chugging tastefully done for once), but not so clean I could use it to sterilize a septic tank. Second of all, yeah, less of the straightforward breakdowns; they're still there in some form or another, but they're often coupled with dueling melodic lead counterpoints and actually hark back to when hardcore was mindless chugging and getting kids to "fucking move." The band does falter occasionally, (as on "Protector," which comes off a little too meatheaded for its own good) but for the most part, the instrumental work is quite solid. And with three guitarists, it damn well better be. Thankfully, Saints Never Surrender keeps things tight, with most tracks clocking in just over three minutes in length. And while there's a lot of noodling going on in and around the punk riffs, it's done as a counterpoint rather than petty wankery. Vocally, the band wins their way into my good graces by avoiding the predictable clean vocals. They rely instead on Mason Hunter's screaming and some gang vocals peppered throughout to keep things from getting too monotonous. And perhaps I'm showing my age here, but it's much nicer that I don't know what they're singing about, as I'm more apt to connect to their passion than anything a hardcore band will have to tell me. If I were really that excited, I'd read the lyrics, which are indeed enclosed for the die-hard fans to thumb through. However, Brutus does have a few problems. The choral melodies on album closer "The Quest" come off as a little contrived, especially after so much vitriolic punk taking up the bulk of the album. Also, there's the equally perplexing hidden track, which could just as easily have subbed in anywhere else on the album. Bottom Line: I'd long figured melodic hardcore was a dead genre that finally succumbed to the onslaught of nu-metalcore leeches. Okay, maybe that's a bit uncharitable, but it's been a long time since I heard any album from a straightforward hardcore band approximate anything close to "tolerable." And yeah, the band wears their influences on their sleeve. Sure, it's not the most diverse album, either. But it's competently played and well composed. There's enough identity bleeding through from behind the Shai Huludisms of Brutus to warrant a listen from any hardcore fan.