Convictions recently put out their sophomore album, Hope for the Broken, and it truly is a FUN album. The band hails from Ohio-the birthplace of other post-hardcore superstars like The Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack, and Of Mice and Men-and they more than prove they can hang with those studs. Although they follow the standard formula of screams through the verses that break into catchy clean choruses, they do it with a long-lost intensity and versatility. A huge highlight of this album is that every song seems to showcase their various influences- “Deceptive Heart” ends with a vicious scream that mirrors those of Fit for A King, “Voices” sounds like something straight from Underoath’s They’re Only Chasing Safety with the incorporation of synthesizers and more technical/tighter drum work, “Divided” leaps out at you with amazing ferocity like My Ticket Home, and so on and so forth. The importance of this is that each song is different enough in sound and style that you don’t get bored halfway through the album or skip through to hear your two or three favorite tracks. The screams of vocalist Michael Felker are dynamic as well. The highs, with throat-ripping intensity, sound similar to Mike Hranica in the Devil Wears Prada first two releases while the lows stop you dead in your tracks with bloodcurdling fervor that only the crisp cleans that bassist/vocalist John Fleischmann provides can blend with. As for the instrumental side of the album, this release provides some of the strongest/catchiest riffs I have heard from this scene (or really any other genre) this year. The breakdowns are heavy as anything, but the way that they become borderline hardcore instead of the traditional metalcore sound is what seals the deal for this band.The only qualm I have with this album is that the lyrics, although sang with sincerity and passion, are pretty run-of-the mill for this genre. A little more innovation, and this would have been the album to beat. The only other setback for this band is recognition as they are still building up a following, but I believe that in a few years this band will be at the forefront of the genre as leaders of the pack.
Top 3 Songs: Feel Alive, Voices, Divided
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