In the Disaster

Whenever a trend becomes hot — -be it disco, gangsta rap, emo, rap-metal, teen pop or reggaetón — there will inevitably be saturation. Screamo (also known as post-hardcore or melodic hardcore) was hot in the early to mid-2000s; it wasn't the mainstream phenomenon that emo was, but in the hardcore underground, it was very hot — and saturation most definitely occurred. One of the results of saturation is a glut of soundalike bands, and there is nothing on In the Disaster that sets Southern California's A Love Ends Suicide apart from countless other screamo units that emerged in the early 21st century. Some reviewers have described this 2006 release as full-fledged metalcore, which is misleading if one's idea of full-fledged metalcore is Hatebreed or Throwdown. Although the screamo/post-hardcore/melodic hardcore style is influenced by metalcore, it isn't metalcore in the strict sense, but rather, combines metalcore elements with melodic elements. In the Disaster is relatively melodic — -that is, it's melodic compared to the unforgiving, skull-smashing ferocity of true metalcore — -and this 39-minute CD contrasts the bitter with the sweet. Harsh, tortured, screaming vocals (a prime ingredient of metalcore) are heard alongside swirling guitars and clean vocals (not a prime ingredient of metalcore), and In the Disaster is intense without being relentlessly ferocious. Ultimately, A Love Ends Suicide offers more sensory assault than sweetening (whereas some screamo bands provide bigger doses of sweetening), but unlike straight-up metalcore, this album isn't devoid of mercy. Unfortunately, In the Disaster is a release that, although competent, isn't terribly memorable. This is not a bad album, but if A Love Ends Suicide hopes to stand out in the ultra-crowded screamo/post-hardcore/melodic hardcore field, they will need to come up with some material that sticks with the listener after the album is finished playing.