Send "Senses Fail " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 When it comes to post-hardcore quintet Senses Fail, listeners can be grouped into three broad categories. Firstly, there are those who were unlikely to make it through one song due to the, shall we call them, distinctive vocals of Buddy Nielsen. The second grouping is those who were fans of the band’s earlier work; which was raw, aggressive and relatively heavy. Finally, there are many who jumped on board when the New Jersey natives recruited producer Brian McTernan (who returns here) for their energetically catchy second album ‘Still Searching’. It was clear that 2008 follow-up ‘Life Is Not A Waiting Room’ was aiming to ignore the first group and please the remainder, but while it was a solid and consistent release, it ultimately felt a little forced and uncomfortable. Persistently, fourth LP ‘The Fire’ keeps the same objective and thankfully achieves the intended result more successfully. Bucking their previous trend of building up to their lead singles, Senses Fail waste no time laying out their intentions for ‘The Fire’. Acting as a mission statement for the entire LP, the opening title track bursts out of the gates to make for one of the band’s most memorable songs yet. It is a near-perfect combination of all they have done in the past; where tortured screaming meets an anthemic sing-along, and where soaring dual guitar-work wraps around a galloping rhythm. Simplifying matters, the remainder of the LP follows a similar blueprint, with slight adjustments made to the extent and placement of Nielsen’s improved and predominantly understandable screaming. Tracks such as ‘Coward’, ‘Lifeboats’ and even forthcoming single ‘New Years Eve’ effectively hark back to the band’s screamo roots, while the likes of ‘Safe House’ and ‘Landslide’ tone the vocals back to emphasize their catchy chorus. Another previous bone of contention regarding Senses Fail has been their attention-seeking lyrics. Once more, this is a clear area of improvement on ‘The Fire’, one which has been born out of a more mature outlook to past experiences. Instead of retaliating to his issues by wanting to stab anyone who gets in his way, Nielsen now looks forward with measured realism. “The rear-view reminds us where we’ve been” he states on ‘Headed West’, while ‘Safe House’ begins with “I’m climbing out of the hole that I’ve been digging”, before later containing the key line “The vultures circle overhead, hanging like halos for the dead, but I’m not suited for one yet”. While ‘The Fire’ has most in common with the band’s debut LP ‘Let It Enfold You’ – and can even be criticized for simply being that album updated – this is clearly an outfit that has made several advancements since that time, and is all the better for them....full text |
| Reviewrinserepeat |
| There was a man who felt the burning from a mirror riled from the frustration of sitting in a waiting room with a gas mask most precariously. So it was only a matter of time before we saw a house set to flames since Buddy Nielsen has been feeling the heartache attributed to life for quite some time now. This is album number four with absolutely no progression varyingly, but subjectively The Fire may be their best material to date since it’s catchier, heavier, and tighter than anything predating its release. All song topics aside those who bought Let It Enfold You – and aren’t still tethered to nostalgias bidding tug, will absolutely shred their ears off by the identicalness of everything dominating the entire affair. Breakdowns find habitat in the same niche between chorus number two and the bridge; just as well the riffs are near plagiarism of earlier material which originally didn’t even belong to Senses Fail so the legality is moot but the satisfaction will all pertain to the listener – as usual. Honestly though, you already know if you want this album or not. Senses Fail are about as bad as Nickelback in terms of formulas, however they exceed the parameters of their limitations from time to time. Mostly this progression relies on Buddy, who is the hit and miss king of pop/punk vocals straining clean verses (as usual) but blowing away harsh segments (as usual). Is he back for real this time? That’s a question that is often answered by live performances since Still Searching was all smoke and mirrors (burning bathroom mirrors mind you) where Mr. Nielsen proved production was half the assailant. While his range is acceptable it’s his rampant lines of “I JUST WANT TO FEEL ALIVE!” which, for the time being, rally the angst inside those still believing in him. This leads to the greatest surprise, the rest of the band. They refuse to embark on detours from their solidified sound. While they cater to melody blending with heaviness – like always, they seem less pungent than usual. Everything is catered to soft intro/explosion/Buddy Nielsen/catchy riff/repeat. This is a blueprint that’s lost its color for the band. While they can rely on their front man to allude to progression it’s ultimately up to the rest of the band to prove it, which they fail to do so. This isn’t such a negative aspect though. Senses Fail have a more than acceptable style rooted for their approach, it’s just their defiance in progression will deter those who wish for more from the band. Essentially, there isn’t a single, I repeat, a single song on The Fire that Senses Fail hasn’t created before – thus you already know if you want this album or not....full text |
| Nerdiest-kids |
| When you think back on high school, you can always identity one band that “got you through.” For many growing up in the 90s, they might of had a infatuation with Nirvana or Weezer. In my case, it was a band named Senses Fail. From New Jersey, this pop punk (debatable) group has released some of the best songs in the genre. Their 2006 release of Still Searching is hailed by many as one of the best emo albums ever, which I 100% agree with. Two years since their last album, Senses Fail is back with The Fire. It’s kind of hard for me to try to say something bad about this band, because their sound really grows on you. When you listen to one of their songs the first time, you might shrug it off, until you eventually start humming the tune without noticing it. This release mixes a bit of Senses Fail’s older sound heard on Let It Enfold You with Life Is Not a Waiting Room. Some tracks push their screamo core (i.e. Coward), while others will be straight forward. And as always, the lyrics span from the album’s theme, which is dealing with changes this time around. Easily, this ranks as one of my favorite albums of 2010....full text |
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