One of the better bands to emerge from the post-
Converge
metalcore explosion,
Every Time I Die
continue to merge hardcore punk fury with metal guitar heroics on their sixth album,
Ex Lives
. While the bulk of the album is filled with the kind of intense, emotionally explosive fits of musical violence that fans have come to expect, the moments where the album gets really interesting are the ones where the band takes the time to do some exploring. "Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow" evokes the sweat-drenched rock of bands like
Hot Snakes
, giving listeners a respite from rigorous technicality with some a little looser while keeping the spirit of the band's sound intact. The real surprise is the closer, "Indian Giver," which finds
channeling the stonery sonorousness of
Torche
with a sprawling, ethereal jam. The most impressive part about the song, though, is how much it works in the context of the album, allowing
to bring
to a droning and triumphant end with a song layered with atmosphere that offsets the punishing, breakdown-heavy assault that listeners had been the recipients of up to that point. Though these kinds of diversions might turn off fans of the band's more fiery moments, this kind of evolution shows that
are moving in some promising new directions. ~ Gregory Heaney