For those unfamiliar, We Never Learned To Live are a post-hardcore outfit from Brighton, and are quite possibly one of the most morose bands to have sprung out of the south coast for a very, very long time.
When you actually analyse it, this album can occasionally leave a lot to be desired. The vocal performance is not always the best, especially during the clean vocal sections, and even the screaming may be a bit too “modern hardcore and shouty” for some of the more die-hard heavy metal fans. The instrumental work, for the most part, is extremely solid, in particular the way We Never Learned To Live build up their sound through excessive guitar layering until you are faced with an enormous wall of noise. Those looking for straight-up fantastic riffs may be a little disappointed, as proper riffs are few and far between on this album.
But where the strength of this album really lies is in the atmosphere. We Never Learned To Live have managed to create an album that, when listened to all the way through, cranked up to a deafeningly high volume, is an incredibly compelling listen. Songs like ‘Twitching With Every Apology‘ and ‘Vesalius‘ are songs that you don’t even realise sneaking up on you until you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a storm of emotionally-wrought, visceral music that defies genre boundaries as much as it captures your complete attention.
There are definitely still a few issues with this album. When compared to some of the albums already released this year it doesn’t really compare in terms of technical quality or general presentation. But where this album has no equal is when it come to an album that grips you in a deathly embrace and doesn’t let go even long after you’ve finished listening.
