I’ve missed some good concerts in the past simply by not being able to pull the trigger and just buy a ticket and go to the show. Silverstein, Alkaline Trio, Brand New (although I did see them on their tour to support The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me)…the list goes on. Maybe the most disappointing one lately has been the decision to not just jump in the car, drive for two hours, and see Evergreen Terrace.

At the time of the show, I was a fan but I wasn’t sure I was enough of a fan to drive that distance and see Evergreen Terrace headline a show with four or five other bands I have never heard of. Listening to a band’s album you haven’t heard yet is different than seeing their live show. It’s pretty hard to get a true feel for what a band is like if your first encounter is a live show. Although God Forbid and Trivium – being in that exact category – were bands that caught my attention at the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival this year. So I wasn’t sure that potentially liking only 16.67% or 20% of a show’s lineup would be worth the drive.

Then I sat down and listened to Evergreen Terrace” onclick=”return TrackClick(‘Evergreen+Terrace’,'null’)”s recent release, Almost Home, and realized that was a very poor decision on my part.

This new release makes two recent metalcore releases that I was very excited about that did not disappoint (the other being Blessthefall‘s latest release, Witness).

Unlike releases by fellow genre band It Dies Today – which consistently have some tracks that are outstanding and others that are just such generic pieces of crap it blows my mind – Almost Home makes three albums in a row now that have been solid efforts the entire way through (the other two being Sincerity is an Easy Disguise in this Business and Wolfbiker).

The guitar riffs are insanely catchy in this release, especially in the beginning of ‘We’re Always Losing Blood.’ Overall song composition is definitely more proficient and improved, as tracks like ‘Sending Signals’ shows. Choruses like those found in ‘I’m a Bulletproof Tiger’ and ‘Almost Home (III)’ will be stuck in your head after the first few listens. Bonus points for the Eastbound and Down reference in the title of the former track, by the way.

Upon first listen, I got through the first four tracks – ‘Enemy Sex’, ‘Almost Home (III)’, ‘God Rocky, Is This Your Face?’, and ‘We’re Always Losing Blood’ – and just started repeating them over and over. I had to actually sit down and force myself to listen the rest of the album, expecting the beginning to be stacked and the second half to be very weak.

False.

The album is solid from front to back, tracks 1 through 11. I think the only track I didn’t really care for was ‘The Letdown’, since it is only 1:46. I’m just not a big fan of super short songs, unless it is a band who specializes in that kind of music, a la the Bouncing Souls.

Don’t make the same mistake I did, and catch these guys on their current tour, I am sure the show is absolutely sick. And while you are at it, use the links below to support these guys and pick up their discography!

Click the album artwork to purchase Evergreen Terrace” onclick=”return TrackClick(‘Evergreen+Terrace’,'null’)”s songs or albums directly from iTunes (Burned Alive by Time, Losing All Hope is Freedom, Writer’s Block, Sincerity is an Easy Disguise in This Business, Wolfbiker, Almost Home):

Or, if you prefer to shop at Amazon, check out their discography in CD and MP3 format: Evergreen Terrace

Here is an official video for the song ‘Chaney Can’t Quite Riff Like Helmet’s Page Hamilton’ from Wolfbiker:

Evergreen Terrace – Chaney Can’t Quite Riff Like Helmet’s Page Hamilton

And here is ‘I’m a Bulletproof Tiger’ from Almost Home:

Evergreen Terrace – I’m a Bulletproof Tiger

All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

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