It Dies Today – Lividity Album Review

Metalcore is a dying genre sadly and it takes more than talent to stand out in the flood of metalcore bands, It Dies Today do just that. Formed in 2001, this band seems to be taking all the right steps to cement their name into the metalcore genre.

Nick Brooks the old vocalist of It Dies Today who appeared on their past albums The Caitiff Choir(2004) and Sirens(2006) is absent on Lividity and is replaced by Jason Wood. Jason Wood exceeds any expectations I had of his ability to match what Nick brought to the table. He is a better screamer, and definitely a much needed change to the It Dies Today line-up.

Fans of It Dies Today  made it known when Sirens was released that they wanted something heavy like The Caitiff Choir and It Dies Today have done just that on Lividity, exceeding all fan expectations I’m sure. Lividity consists of 10 tracks displaying sheer and complete brutality, the kind of brutality that makes you want to throw your furniture out your living room window, not caring for any pedestrians that might be passing by.

Track 1: This Ghost – Starting off with a brutal-as-fuck guitar riff and perfectly timed drums, this song then proceeds to take it up a notch and get heavier. With enough cymbals and fast tempo’d drop C guitar riffs to make even the most die-hard metalcore fan throw himself around a moshpit, this track is definitely a good way to start off an album.

Track 2: Reckless Abandon – Starting out with a catchy and consistent guitar riff that makes you want to move, then proceeding to turn into a track with a two-step feel too it once Jason starts screaming. This is personally one of my favourite tracks on Lividity and in my opinion I would have made this track number one. This track really shows off Jason’s ability to scream, sing and deliver a brutal experience.

Track 3: Thank You For Drinking – This is the first track I heard from Lividity before I got my hands on the album and it impressed me right away. It has a very head banging feel too it, all whilst sticking to the typical traits of a metalcore track. If you like lots of drop C opens, cymbals, double kicks and of course breakdowns, this track will probably be one of your favourites on Lividity. The breakdown is amazing, Jason screams repeatedly “We’ll see you in hell!” whilst the drums and guitar play in perfect time with each other.

Track 4: Miss October – I love this songs melodic starting feel. Although once the song gets into full swing you realise that it is just as fast as the previous tracks were, with a twist. This song really displays a substantial use of brutality and melodics, and definitely a solid track. The song has an almost perfect interlude/solo which starts around the 2:30 mark of the song and sounds beautiful in a metal sort of way.

Track 5: Bled Out In Black And White – This track is slower than the previous four tracks before it, but definitely not any less brutal. This song has a nice two-step feel to it, and although I personally think the choruses and verses are lacking in someway, the amazing breakdown really makes me like this song. Although I’m a huge fan of well delivered and solid breakdowns and this song delivers, I personally think it could have been better.

Track 6: Martyr of Truth – This track feels like it doesn’t belong on Lividity, and I’m not entirely sure why. Could it be because it’s slow? Because it’s not as brutal? I don’t know why this track is number six, it feels like it should be the ending track of Lividity, but it’s not that bad. I might not have given this track enough listens to give a proper review of it, but I still feel like it doesn’t belong or should be track ten.

Track 7: Nihility – In this track I sense a little bit of Sirens album influence coming through, but at the same time, being a completely new experience on it’s own. Showcasing the new found brutality It Dies Today seemed to have harnessed, this is one of the most solid tracks on Lividity. It’s perfect mix of screams and clean vocals makes this a metalcore classic. You can’t have a metalcore classic track without a breakdown, and Nihility has one of the most brutal It Dies Today breakdowns in it.

Track 8: Life Of Uncertainty – Starting off in true It Dies Today fashion, this track begins with well timed, fast and brutal guitar riffs with face-smashing drums. The chorus in this track much like track seven seems to be inspired by their previous album Sirens released in 2006. I was a huge fan of Sirens and this track takes me back. The ending of this track is fucking awesome, I love how it slows down then kicks you in the throat with a brutal breakdown.

Track 9: The Architects – Whoa, man. If I were to pick a favourite track off Lividity this would be it. It’s so fast, and brutal that it’s hard not to put this track on repeat. Definitely the fastest track on Lividity, and is completely unexpected. Just when you thought Lividity couldn’t get any heavier, brutal or faster, track 9 grabs you by surprise. This track sounds amazing when you blast it through a decent car stereo, I’m not kidding. Listen to the ending breakdown and really crank it to maximum volume, be careful your speakers don’t blow from the awesome this track contains.

Track 10: Complacence Without Pursuit (Lividity) – I take back what I said about Martyr of Truth (sorta) being the end track. This track is a perfect way to end an album. It showcases all elements displayed throughout Lividity from track 1 through to track 9; the brutality, melodics, clean vocals, fast guitar, awesome breakdowns and heavy drums. This track has someone with a Scottish accent yelling profanities while bagpipes play then an accoustic guitar comes in whilst a group of Scottish people chant “thank you for drinking with me”. Pretty damn hilarious when you first listen to it, or play it in your car while people in other cars wonder what the fuck you’re listening too.

After three listens I’ve come to the conclusion this album is hard to stop listening too. It’s an amazing release and it wouldn’t be too far fetched to proclaim that this is one of the best metalcore albums of 2009 so far. I cannot wait to hear what these guys come out with next, maybe a live album.

Lyrics: 6/10 (Pretty generic metalcore lyrics, but still suit the music perfectly).
Vocals: 9/10 (Jason Wood definitely beats Nick Brooks hands down. Someone had to say it).
Playability: 9/10 (You could repeat this album a 100 times over before it got old and then play it again the next day).
Brutality: 9/10 (I would have given this a 10/10 if it weren’t for Martyr of Truth).
Standout tracks: Life Of Uncertainty, The Architects, This Ghost, Reckless Abandon, Thank You For Drinking.

Popularity: 1% [?]