Evergreen Terrace Burned Alive by Time

Evergreen Terrace, in many respects, reminds me of Converge. Both bands are off-the-wall, intricate, heavy yet hauntingly melodic, and incredibly chaotic. And although singer Andrew Carey doesn't have a cat-call like Jake Bannon, he can certainly hold his own. But more importantly, with each new release, both bands just get better and better. In a time where too many albums become stale and trite after just one spin, Evergreen Terrace couldn't have picked a finer time to release their latest effort, "Burned Alive by Time." So what's new and improved Well, first off, "Burned Alive by Time" is first off much, much heavier than "Losing All Hope Is Freedom" (or the split with xOne-Fifthx for that matter). Every breakdown is more crushing, more timely, and more perfectly executed, and furthermore, there's more breakdowns period. This kind of straightforward, lets-not-beat-around-the-bush style, although somewhat overdone as of late, truly creates a dark and oppressive atmosphere that any listener can't ignore. And despite the lack of any new Fight Club clips, the guys in Evergreen have decided instead to employ the use of drum loops and keyboards in a few songs just to keep things engaging. And the art direction is pretty rad, too. As for the songs themselves, I initially listed some of the stronger tracks for my own purposes, which included 1,2,4,6,7,8,9,10. And wouldn't you know it, that's basically the whole damn album. Go figure. The opening tracks, "Understanding the Fear That Lies Within" and "No Donnie, These Men Are Nihilists" (The Big Lebowski! Yeah!) get things rolling with ambient/acoustic guitar work juxtaposed alongside heavy-as-fuck breakdowns. "Dear Live Journal" displays Carey's unique sung vocals in full-force (they're present on every track in case you were wondering), his deep voice resonating from the pit of his chest."My Heart Beats in Breakdowns" needs almost no explanation, as the title reflects exactly how this one sounds: hard-hitting, relentless, and almost youth-crew (believe it or not). "Taking Care of the Dead Fish" which goes from a Promise Ring-type riff to total onslaught in an instant, and "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em," another brutal (and catchy) song that finishes with the most tuned-down breakdown I have ever heard, begin to close the album while keeping things upbeat and energetic, especially as the whole gang screams "Never give in... never!". Track 9 is a completely independent piano/synth/drum loop track that catches the listener off-guard completely, leaving them totally unprepared for the last song, "Heavy Number One (Aka: Shizzle My Nizzle)," a metalcore anthem in every respect. And for those of you who thought Evergreen did a good job covering U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," you're in for a real treat. This time around the guys settled on covering Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence." Though it may be a bit too fast at points, they again do a good job of "metalizing" another classic, especially as they throw in a nice breakdown right in the middle of the whole shebang. Plus, who can honestly resist screaming "All I ever wanted, all I ever needed is here in my arms" like Dave Gahan never did A few notes on the production: while everything is very crisp, the bass drum is a bit muffled, which is actually how I think it should sound. Whereas most musical connoisseurs would complain about such a minor detail, I applaud it, as the heavier parts sound like thunder as opposed to a machine gun (and we all know how old-hat that is). The guitars are a bit too high though, some of the screaming too low, and some of the cymbals, notably the china, are again more muffled than they need to be. And as a last comment, the guy who engineered it (Lee Dyess is the fellow's name) also did all the drum loops, which I thought was a bit funny. Who knows, maybe he's a friend of the band. Bottom Line: Keep this album in mind the next time your shopping for some new records, as it's definitely worth picking up. Evergreen Terrace have broadened their horizons and consequently stumbled across a sound which is not easily reproducible. "Burned Alive by Time" is a perfect example of an album that has transcended traditional "metalcore" boundaries and defies staleness by truly progressing forward in every sense of the word.