Dear Life
Framework
Screaming guy – check. Minimum of six breakdowns per song – check. Anthemic group vocals – check. Meandering song structure – check. Technical yet brutal riffs and drumming – check. Inspired combination of all of these elements – missing.
In a genre as saturated as a Gitmo detainee’s water-boarded face, metal (or metalcore) bands have to have some special twist, some indefinable yet defining difference, for them to stand out. Unfortunately, Dear Life’s Framework is unable to come up with anything resembling that elusive “it.” Even the few departures on the disc that stray into balladry come off like some of Linkin Park’s recent ventures in moody territory. That alone is enough to write off a band, in my humble opinion. When sticking to the fast, confusing and angry, Dear Life is another metal band in a sea of them – good, but unable to deliver a sound that sets them apart from their numerous peers. I think people (myself included) would’ve loved this a few years ago, before the third metalcore wave hit everyone’s ears, but in July of 2008 it fails to captivate. – Scott Jenson
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