Impressions/Thoughts:
After their last album Burn the Serum, which came out in
2014, I had high expectations for their follow up to that album. So when their
first single “Pristine Waring” was
released, I had a guttural reaction to it because it was a simpler sounding
song that got me right in the mood for the album. As more tunes were released
as singles, my confidence in this album grew as each song was just as strong as
the last.
The Music:
“Pristine Warning”
starts with a simple powerful riff that gets you right in the mood. There are
some great instrumentals and transitions in between the verses and chorus. The guitar
solo near the end after the verse, explodes with energy as guitarist Eddie Veliz shreds, which is a display
of emotion about the subject of the song. The bass echoes after the solo and
leads right back into the chorus. You can tell that from the subject matter in
the lyrics that this is not going to be a happy song. The tone of the song then
goes down the scale, so it alerts you that it is going to be a serious or
emotional topic. Lyrically, it jumps right in by saying “I feel sick, I feel numb
pointless treason, I should’ve seen it all along”, which grabs your attention
as the song is about a relationship that went south. After giving that person
second chances and being let down repeatedly, the decision was finally made to
end the relationship for the benefit of all parties.
“Breathe in the Water” starts off fast, but slows down the tempo for the main riff which has a beat that hooks in the listener. I like how the vocals start off soft and build up to an emotional peak in the chorus. The rhythm grabs you as the melody of the vocals fly above the riff. As the chorus repeats, there are more lyrics added after it with “Breathe the water, breathe it all in. Breathe, breathe, breath, breathe.” which is catchy and also emphasizes the theme of the song. The lyrics are about a man and his family fleeing Syria in a boat which capsizes and his family drowns. This song emanates empathy for the man who was trying to get a better life for his family, but instead he loses them all.
“Closer To The End”
is more serene but bursts into a heavy riff. It moderates in between these
tones throughout the piece. The vocals echo the riff’s emotion and after the
first chorus “We’re closer to the end.” you only hear the instrumentals in that
similar serene tone until the vocals return a few moments later. Lyrically this
is another sad song and touches upon nearing the end of someone’s life.
The next song, “Follow
Blindly” is a faster track that has a continuous rhythm and instrumentals
throughout he song. I focused on the lyrics of this song which portray how
prayers aren’t wanted from people who are hypocritical. These people claim to
follow Christ blindly, but are really just wolves in sheep’s clothing. This
song is about the disillusionment concerning these people and their claim to
have faith in God.
“Show Me Your Love”
is a mellower song that is more like a ballad and later on it punches into a
heavier riff. The song is about how a guy who is insecure about a relationship
he is in and wants to be shown the other person’s love. Lyrically it also
portrays how he is insecure about his relationship. He refers to it as agony
and living a nightmare, ultimately the relationship is not going to have “a
beautiful ending”.
“Reckoning, Pt. 1”
is a prelude to what is to come later in the album on the last song. This track
is only 38 seconds long and fades in and out quickly enough so that it could be
easily missed.
“The Dead” starts
off with an upbeat tempo which is unusual for the name of song. Then it transitions
into a riff that is much more in line with what you would expect from a song
with that title. This piece is much more solemn and serious with its lyrical
content; what the theme of the songs boils down to is that dead
men tell no tales.
“Bipolar Schemes”
is a good song that has instrumental interludes that give this track a good
listening pace. I like how the riff slows down after the chorus which gives me
time to reflect on the song’s lyrics. The words in this song describe a man who
was in a relationship with a woman who kept putting him down and berating him.
The lyrics “Jesus couldn’t help you with your soul” show that a woman that is
referenced in the song is struggling with many issues where she is trying to
keep them contained inside to the point where she couldn’t deal with them
anymore and ends up slitting her wrists to keep her issues to herself. That is
how she dealt with it and he tried to help her, as indicated in the lyrics
“Jesus can’t help me get you through”.
“Hide From You” has
a very distinctive riff that separates itself from the other songs on the
album. The song grabs you and makes you want to hear more. The lyrics,
according to my interpretation, seem to be about a person who has a certain
faith which may make him be seen by others a fool for his beliefs. Despite what
others may think, he still is trying to remain strong in his faith. It’s about
a need to believe in God which helps him continue on in life, because otherwise
it just seems hopeless. In a world where everything seems to be against him, he
is able to cope with the feeling of being alone in his struggle by retaining
his hope and faith in God. Overall, it’s an engaging song that grabs you from
the beginning and carries you to the end.
“Song For a Broken
Masque” is a song with a slower pace. It starts off with a serene opening
but transitions into the main riff which has a deeper harder tone as it goes
down with every chord progression; it sets a darker mood. This track has good
instrumentals that had me tapping my foot to the beat without even realizing
it. I think this song is about someone who is not understood and feels emotionally
spent. It sounds like this person is a scapegoat as he is being blamed for
somebody else’s problems. In addition, they tarnish his name and make him look
bad. He realizes that the person who is slamming him doesn’t recognize his full
potential of what he could be. He gets to the point where goodwill cannot mend
the bridge of the relationship and distance is all he wants from this person as
he’s been hurt enough.
“The Battle of the
Saint / Lines” opens with an acoustic guitar melody which serves as a good
transition from the previous song. Then it launches into a heavy metal riff
that mimics the melody of the previous acoustic guitar intro. The riff is
heavier and has an emotional quality to it. Lyrically the song is about how
people try to bring down others regardless of whether they are viewed as a
leader, a god, or a “man of gold.”
“Not Enough” is an
upbeat song with a melodic hard rock feel. It has a catchy chorus you which you
find yourself singing along to. I like during in the midpoint of the song where
it slows down and you can only hear the guitars and vocals. The lyrics describe
a relationship in which one person is trying to keep the relationship together
but they can never give enough.
The album closes with “What
I’m Made of / Reckoning, Pt. 2” which is faster and heavier than most of
the other songs on the album. I like the chord progression leading up to and into
the chorus. The riff is really strong as it punches the listener with emotion.
From my lyrical interpretation, I see the song as being about a resolve through
tough times in life. When the singer says “I’ll clutch a crucifix in hell,”
this tells me that even if he going to hell he’ll keep holding on to his faith
and give it his all. Overall the song closes the album with very strong
instrumentals and vocals.
Verdict:
The album has a more serious theme than their prior album.
Musically it has a heavier tone although some of their songs are on the slower
side. Lyrically it’s very sad as it touches on many subjects such as loss, where you fit in with the world,
relationships and judgements made by others or by a higher power. Breathe
in the Water is a very good album. I find it to be a grower, in that
you have to listen to the album a few times as the songs grow on you. The more
you listen to the songs, the more you understand the meanings as they distill
into you. When comparing this to thier last album Burn the Serum, it is
very hard to make a choice which one is better. I would say that this album is one
of their better albums and I recommend that you take a listen to it.
Top 6 Songs:
1) “Breathe in the
Water”
2) “Pristine Warning”
3) “What I’m Made of
/ Reckoning, Pt. 2”
4) “Bipolar Schemes”
5) “Follow Blindly”
6) “Hide From You”
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| From left to right: Pepe Clarke, Eddie Veliz and Tony Castaneda |
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