Adelphia

If you like scremo and hardcore-ish music, checkout the newest album by A Skylit Drive, "Adelphia." This is the band's second full-length release and it comes hardly a year after their first drop. The sound reminds me of a mixture of Coheed and Cambria and the Used. "Adelphia" has less screaming and more singing, which some fans may dislike.

This album delivers diversity. Rather than only having breakdowns and thrash sessions, the newest album delivers on a more developed sound level. The combination of synth, diverse use of drums, breakdowns, and traditional angsty lyrics (both sung and growled) help to create a story rather than just a random assortment of unintelligible songs.

Upon my first listen to the album, my favorite song was "The Children of Adelphia." The title track is apocalyptic and haunting, but catchy at the same time, mainly because of the chorus. Even though it is one of the more traditional hardcore songs, the lyrics are still sung in a manner that they can be understood.

The final track on "Adelphia," "See You Around," reminded me why I enjoy this type of music. It's filled with little musical surprises throughout the song. My favorite part comes at the very end, when things get quiet. This section made me think of any show I'd ever been to where it feels as if every person in the room knows every lyric, and the band can tell and lets the audience sing. The song becomes soft and all that can be heard is the thumping drum, and multiple people singing the same lyrics: And if I don't see you then/I guess I'll see you around. There's also some handclapping thrown in (for good measure, I'm sure).

There's even a ballad on the album. "Air the Enlightenment" has pianos and reminds me very much of a Mars Volta song. The female vocals give the song an eerie sound. You can almost hear the anguish in her singing. (This is why the band is sometimes labeled emo.)

If you're a fan of this kind of music, I recommend checking out "Adelphia." If you like experimental sound, this would also be a good album to listen to. It's definitely not for everyone, but it has an interesting sound. It's a sound that's really easy to butcher, but A Skylit Drive pulls it off well.