Artist: Escape The Fate
Album: Ungrateful
Release Date: May 14th, 2013
Record Label: Eleven Seven Music
In May, Escape The Fate released their fourth studio effort, Ungrateful. The album is the third with Craig Mabbitt on vocals and the first to feature Michael Money on guitar and TJ Bell on bass. The lead single and title-track of the album was released three months prior, with a graphic video which sends a strong message about the need to stop the cycle of bullying and abuse, following in March. "You're Insane" was the second single to be released in April, and set up great anticipation for the album the following month.
I felt that "Ungrateful" was somewhat of a false
lead-in. It was such a huge, loud anthem that I was expecting the rest of the
album to be just as heavy, and I was kind of disappointed when that turned out
to not be the case.
While the title track, for me, was undoubtedly the standout
song of the album, there are definitely a few other tracks worth mentioning.
The second track, "Until We Die", follows on from where
"Ungrateful" left off with its gritty aggressiveness, while "Live
Fast, Die Beautiful" takes us away from the metalcore sounds of the first
two songs, and lends a more upbeat, maybe even pop-rock, vibe to the album.
"Forget About Me" is nothing to write home about,
but it allows Craig Mabbitt to showcase his range with higher vocals in the
chorus. The song features a rather generic metalcore breakdown that you'd
probably expect to find somewhere in Asking Alexandria's arsenal. Definitely
not a highlight for me.
Things pick up again with "You're Insane", with
its catchy riffs and chorus, and just when I thought the album might return to the hard-hitting heaviness of the opening tracks, it all slows down. "Chemical
Love" and "Picture Perfect" are the softer contributions to
"Ungrateful", but neither is likely to go down in history as a
memorable ballad or standout song for the artist.
"Risk It All" takes us back to the heavier side of things. Chunky, catchy riffs, hard-hitting drums and another anthemic, sing-along chorus make this one of the album's strongest songs. "Desire" continues in much the same vein and "One For the Money" is a track that will have you
singing along to the chorus the first time listening. It's ridiculously catchy
with melodies that are likely to be stuck in your head for a while, before
"Fire It Up" wraps the album up nicely.
"Ungrateful" is loaded with heavy guitar riffs, strong
bass lines, and catchy, sing-a-long choruses, as fans will have come to expect
from the band in previous releases. Despite the problems the band has had with
line-up changes, it's clear that they have come together as a unit and their
chemistry with one another cannot be denied. Michael Money lends good rhythm to his brother, Monte's, guitar leadership, while Monte himself contributes some great solos. TJ Bell keeps the
bass lines tight and in sync with the drumming technique of Robert Ortiz and Mabbitt belts his heart out from start to finish, whether he is screaming or
singing cleanly, his performance is impressive and consistent throughout.
Overall, it's a solid album, however, I don't think it's anything
ground-breaking that will force people to stand up and take notice if they
haven't already. It's definitely not bad, and fans of the band will surely
enjoy it if they have Mabbitt's previous work with the band. It's true to
Escape The Fate's sound and they didn't take any unnecessary risks by pushing
the boat out too far.
Standout Songs: "Ungrateful", "Until We Die", "You're Insane"
Honorable Mentions: "Risk It All", "One For the Money"Rating:
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