Feels Like Home is the second full-length release from Perth metalcore
giants Mandalay Victory, bringing
together everything the band is known for. For fans and new comers alike, the
album does not disappoint; every track radiates the kind of energy that you
only find in a passionate band who love what they do.
Beginning with the genre’s
trademark one minute-thirty intro track, Feels
Like Home takes a single minute to build up, and doesn’t relent until the
last, echoing vocal line from ‘Danny Archer Sends His Regards’ fades into the
distance. Just over 35 minutes in length, the album isn’t a long one, but
doesn’t ever feel rushed or incomplete. If anything, the pounding riffs and
crunching vocals start to feel a bit repetitive. ‘Holey Dollar’ provides a
welcome change in pace, almost serving as an introduction to the last portion
of the album; and the band
transition effortlessly and smoothly back into their trade.
The subsequent track
‘Whispers’ will be a familiar one for fans, containing some of the album’s best
riffs, clean vocals, and breakdowns. This track alone stands up as some of the
better material of the genre, providing a strong showing for this Perth band.
On ‘The Hearts We Left Behind’, Mandalay
Victory showcase their ability to be versatile within their own sound; the
song is almost a ballad, with clean vocals and guitar dominating the epic
landscape the song creates.
Some of the album’s best
moments are in the contrast between vocals, with tracks like ‘Lower Your Guard’
and ‘All or Nothing’ demonstrating the bands ability to construct a soaring
chorus within a brutal hardcore song. If anything could be improved on Feels Like Home, it would be the use of
this variation in the most central element of their songs. Gang vocals, clean
vocals, and vocal effects are found scattered amongst the album, but are
occasionally lost in the relentless barrage of screams.
Mandalay Victory
aren’t breaking any moulds, but they do what they do well, and Feels Like Home is an impressive second
album for the Perth band.www.listn.to/mandalayvictory
www.facebook.com/mandalayvictory
www.myspace.com/mandalayvictory
By: Ethan Reed
www.facebook.com/mandalayvictory
www.myspace.com/mandalayvictory
By: Ethan Reed
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