Discovering The Waterfront - Silverstein

...Blood
5. Discovering The Waterfront
6. Defend You
7. My Heroine
8. Always And Nevert
9. Already Dead
10. Three Hours Back
11. Call It Karma

Introduction:
There aren't many vocalists that can switch from a hardcore gut curdling scream to a softer popier style at the drop of a hat, but the band Silverstein are blessed with frontman Shane Told's versatility. This is the second effort ...
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5. Discovering The Waterfront

This song is probably the slowest and mellowest on the album, and works well as the title track.
It is about a relationship gone really wrong and someone ending it although they still love eachother very much they are sick of the pain they go through when they are together.

6. Defend You

This song is also another harder and faster track with alot of screaming. ... more

Track List:
1. My Sword Versus Your Dagger
2. Smile In Your Sleep
3. Ides Of March
4. Fist Wrapped In Blood
5. Discovering The Waterfront
6. Defend You
7. My Heroine
8. Always And Nevert
9. Already Dead
10. Three Hours Back
11. Call It Karma

Introduction:
There aren't many vocalists that can switch from a hardcore gut curdling scream to a softer popier style at the drop of a hat, but the band Silverstein are blessed with frontman Shane Told's versatility. This is the second effort from the canadian based screamo / punk band, and in my opinion this album is ten times better than their earlier album "When Broken Is Easily Fixed".
Silverstein are one of the many punk / emo bands on the Victory Records Label one of the most famous being Taking Back Sunday.
In this album Silverstein have managed to find the right balance of hardcore, fast paced songs and more slow melodic ones, this breaks up the album and makes for a much more interesting listening experience.
I have been to a Silverstein gig recently and they are flawless live, with every track sounding exactly as it does on the album. Their interaction with the crowd and stage presence is superb, throwing the microphone out every once in a while allowing a lucky crowd member to scream their heart out. If you ever get a chance it is highly reccomended you see this fine band.

Song Breakdown:

1. Your Sword Versus My Dagger

This song is perfect as the albums opener with a fast metal riff blasting into action, and the explosion of Shane's perfect metal growls. This song is a prime example of how he can switch quickly from each vocal style. Half way through the bridge breaks in and slows the pace of the song down giving the listener a chance to take in what brilliance they have just heard, only to break out with the hardcore scream of "Verona lives inside of you!" to bring back the pace of the song.
This song is about how you can love someone so much but other reasons and factors are there stopping you being together. This is alot like the story of Romeo and Juliet and has direct references for example the songs title and the Verona quote mentioned before (Romeo and Juliet live in fair Verona).

2. Smile In Your Sleep

This was the first single released off the album. It's a solid enough song and a little more mainstream than the rest but still just as good, although there are better ones on the album. It starts off with a killer tune that can't help but get stuck in your head.
The song is about how someone cheating on you and treating you badly can ultimately lead you to murder. The video for this song is quite clever with each band member being in a different colour in a "Cluedo" ("Clue" if your American) sort of style, which makes for an interesting take on a video and reinforces the idea of murder in the song.

3. The Ides Of March

This is one of my favourites on the album. The song starts off with about two seconds of instruments that sort of sound like they have been reversed, which make for an interesting intro to a song even if it is short. As the intro finishes the singing immediatly starts (Shane is at his pop-punk style at this point)
This song is about how he has betrayed someone but knows he has done wrong and wants to put things right. The song also has a reference to the play Julius Caesar in the title "The Ides Of March." This was when Julius Caesar was warned by a fortune teller to "Beware the ides of march" this was when Caesar was betrayed and killed, this reinforces the idea of betrayal in the song.

4. Fist Wrapped In Blood

This song is similar to the first track in the way that it has a harder more metal feel. This song starts off with a slower, catchier riff than in the first track, and then the song erupts with a hardcore scream of "Come on!" and it all kicks into action. My favourite part of this song is towards the end, when he describes different parts of his body that are "hers" to mutilate, for example "My fingers are yours to cut off" "My teeth are yours to pull out" "My soul is yours to slowly rip apart" in this part bits are sung and bits are sreamed, this gives the song a feeling of raw crushing emotion.
This song is about someone who has suffered so badly and had their heart broken so many times, that they can't trust anyone they meet and won't be able to get close enough to love again.

5. Discovering The Waterfront

This song is probably the slowest and mellowest on the album, and works well as the title track.
It is about a relationship gone really wrong and someone ending it although they still love eachother very much they are sick of the pain they go through when they are together.

6. Defend You

This song is also another harder and faster track with alot of screaming. At the bridge the song slows down and the style of this part reminds me of another Victory Records band called Bayside. The pace of the song is then brought back to a ear-pleasing climax of screaming and background vocals.
This song is about how love can blind you and not let you see the bad things someone does, but in the end you can't defend and forget everything they do, hence the title "Defend You"

7. My Heroine

This is another of my favourites. This song starts off with a catchy, beautiful melody and in comes the harmonious singing of "The drugs begin to peak, and a smile of joy arrives in me"
This song is about the singer loving someone so much that he is almost addicted to her and can't live without her. The band use the metaphor of drugs and heroine to symbolise love and this particuliar person, it is also a play on words as a female hero is a heroine.

8. Always and Never

This is yet another one of my favourites (seriously this album is full of them). The chorus in this song is probably the catchiest on the album and it just makes me want to get up and dance when I hear it.
I think this song is about betrayal and a break up in a relationship. In the chorus he is describing how he left "Take it back to the streets, I'll start again, I'll never look back."

9. Already Dead

This song is another slower and more melodic track. It has a cool chorus and a few breakdowns which break the song up.
This song has similar meanings to "Smile In Your Sleep" about someone being hurt so much they result to murder, although in this song they actually go through it during the song.

10. Three Hours Back

This song sounds almost acoustic at the beggining until the crunch of guitars and the bass-line jumps in. This song has a really cool chorus with some words you can imagine being shouted out by the crowds when it's played live. This song is about a break up, with him leaving her and knowing its what he has to do.

11. Call It Karma

This song is probably the most "Emo" (emotional) on the album and is the softest one also. It's quite a good ending to the album
with its end chorus almost like its saying goodbye to the listener. Yet again this song is about a bad break-up.

Cover and sleeve artwork:

Although the cover obviously goes with the album name, with it being of a person in a pool of water, I don't really like it that much. This could be just me, but I don't think it really fits the genre of the band, this cover makes me think more of an Indie sort of band's cover. I much prefer the artwork in their previous album. Not that it really matters that much, as cover artwork is only a tiny part of an album.

Lyrics:

Overall the lyrics are quite good to be fair, although the themes of songs do tend to be quite repetitive, most of them being about love, or heartbreak. Although using references from plays and other mediums does make for much more interesting songs with deeper meanings.

I bought my album from HMV when it first came out for £11.99, it could be quite hard to find in smaller stores, so you should look in the metal section of larger stores, or just use the internet.

I recommend this album for fans of :-

Hawthorne Heights
Senses Fail
Thursday
UnderOATH
Bayside

And so concludes my review I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it has persuaded you to check out this awesome band. 

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