Guitarred And Feathered (Gutter Phenomenon - Every Time I Die)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Gutter Phenomenon - Every Time I Die
Date:	26/06/08 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A perfect 34 minutes of music, vocally exceptional and highly instrumentally entertaining.

Disadvantages: I fail to think of any.

'Gutter Phenomenon' is the third album from Every Time I Die, an album which was originally released through Ferret Records in August 2005. The band broke with convention for this album, for the first time in its career eleven tracks were included on a studio release rather than the standard ten which had been present on the bands first two album releases. 34 minutes of music are included on this album; it's a fine album from the band and is I feel the best album that Every Time I Die has ever released as a band.

From opening track 'Apocalypse Now And Then' right through to the classic closer 'Pretty Dirty' the music is highly impressive here, both of these tracks are in fact two of my absolute favourites from this album and I love them both equally. Opening/closing tracks are very important to me when it comes to albums, and in this department Every Time I Die has got the formula absolutely spot on with 'Gutter Phenomenon'. 'Apocalypse Now And Then' is such an excellent track to begin this album with, immediately you're thrown right into the mix of the music and the sound created by the band here is instantly impressive.

With second track 'Kill The Music' the band actually collaborates with Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, it's quite a strange choice for a vocal collaboration but one that does funnily enough sound incredible. I'm not at all a fan of My Chemical Romance, I love the vocal performance that Gerard Way puts in here however and his vocal tone combined with that of Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley provides for an excellent overall sound. Instrumentally also this track is absolutely fantastic, the track progresses well and stands strong as one of the finest musical creations present on this album. In all honesty I could actually say that all eleven of these tracks are highlights from this album, every track present here is hugely impressive and not once does the fine sound of Every Time I Die fail to impress me here.

'Bored Stiff' and 'Easy Tiger' are two further favourites of mine from this album, both are absolutely excellent tracks and with each of these the incredible musical finesse of Every Time I Die is further showcased here. 'Bored Stiff' is quite possibly my favourite Every Time I Die track of all time; it begins with a highly amusing spoken vocal line before throwing you right into the brutality of the music. If you don't like profanity then it's probably best to avoid this one, the bad language begins right from the beginning of the track here but the music is always phenomenal. Vocally is where the real strength of this track lies, the vocal tone is continuously taken up, down, and in fact everywhere. The bands lead vocalist Keith Buckley here shows himself to be exceptional as he shouts, screams, and generally creates every sound possible as he presses his way fantastically through this fine rock anthem. It's hard to put a genre on the music, the band bounces between many here; ranging between metalcore, rock, and hardcore punk also; almost as if at the flick of a switch.

If you're familiar with the music of Glassjaw or Head Automatica then you'll know Daryl Palumbo as the singer of both of these bands. Despite his busy band schedule he here managed to make an appearance on this Every Time I Die album and contributes guest-vocals to the track 'Champing At The Bit'. I love both Glassjaw and Head Automatica, and with this track the vocals of Daryl Palumbo certainly do not disappoint. Just as with the Gerard Way collaboration; the vocal combination provided here is one that works incredibly well and this track is therefore yet another highlight from this 'Gutter Phenomenon' album. Instrumentally and vocally also this is a highly energetic track, the instrumental work is absolutely excellent and vocally also the music always has much to offer. The band bounces through this track with terrific ease and fluency, this is a highly approachable album and with every track the band sounds entirely comfortable and incredibly proficient.

Aside from having an absolutely fantastic title, 'Guitarred And Feathered' is another track from this album which is hugely impressive. Just looking at the title makes me smirk, listening to the music however makes me grin from ear to ear; I absolutely love this track and never can I seem to get enough of it. The music is exceptionally put across by the band here, something that is in fact true of every track on this album. Once more the energy levels are kept high, the musical ability displayed is of an incredibly impressive level, and everything about this track is just pretty much perfect. This is an exquisitely fine display of music from Every Time I Die, just one of the exceptional eleven tracks present on this phenomenal album release that is 'Gutter Phenomenon'.

'Gutter Phenomenon' is most definitely an album that I'd recommend all to listen to, it's an incredible display of music and is I feel the best album that Every Time I Die has ever released as a band to date. This is an album that everyone should have present in their music collection, if you don't own this album then get out there and buy it now and I'm sure that you shall not be disappointed with what you hear. The band blends brilliantly several different genres throughout this album, bringing in elements of metalcore, southern rock, and hardcore punk also in order to provide for a fantastic overall 34 minutes of music. I just can't find fault with this album at all, I love each and every track and always when I listen to 'Gutter Phenomenon' I smile. Every Time I Die's 'Gutter Phenomenon' album is a must own release for any major fans of rock/metal and one which I personally would recommend 100%. Take a trip to Amazon, purchase this album for a mere £9.98 and prepare to be impressed.

Summary: 'Gutter Phenomenon' is an album that all should own, an excellent 11 tracks of music.