It's All a Long Goodbye

Chronique

Although On Broken Wings is a capable metalcore troupe with all the fixings -- from gurgling vocals to dismemberment plans -- to dominate the subgenre, they manage to get bogged down in anonymity just the same. Fronted by the grunting, growling vocal chord-shredding Jonathan Blake, the Boston group's brutal thumping and doomsday posturing on tracks like "Pushing up Daisies" and "Frozen Over" is enough to scare the crap out of parents, teachers, cops, and unsuspecting rock fans alike. However, it doesn't mean there's a lot of newfound creativity; in fact a few of these songs ("Listless," "I Do My Crosswords") are redone from earlier OBW offerings. Innovation is also in short supply for that matter, with brief melodic dalliances on tracks like "More Than Life" rendered insignificant. Simply put, bands from Poison the Well to Hopesfall to Converge have done the harsh, heavy mosh-core thing with far better results, but for folks who just can't get enough of the style, On Broken Wings brings forth It's All a Long Goodbye.
© John D. Luerssen /TiVo