Bayside - Killing Time Review

There's something that a lot of bands in today's music scene don't have. It's a combination of things, really. It's the consistency to be great, even good, over a considerable length of time, coupled with the guts and killer instinct to try out new things, to stretch boundaries and challenge themselves as musicians.

Bayside is a band that has that combination. With the release of its fifth studio full-length since 2004, Bayside has once again proven the notion that bands can keep the same sound they've had for years while still growing and putting out refreshingly worthwhile records. Killing Time takes the sound that the band focused on with 2008's Shudder and mixes in glimpses of great Bayside records of years past. There are certain audible glimpses throughout the course of the 10-track record where fans familiar with Bayside's earlier work will pick out parts where Bayside sounds like its old self, and parts where fans will notice that the band is trying something they've never done before.

All the while, Killing Time never once sounds recycled, rehashed, or redone. Opener "Already Gone" is a blisteringly paced kick-start to the record, followed immediately by lead single "Sick, Sick, Sick," a catchy and lyrically scathing number that will have you pogo-ing in your living room. "Mona Lisa" is full of sweeping key changes, as you'll have to try your hardest to not sing along when Anthony Raneri belts out, "You're bed's been made / Now go die in it."

Only three songs into the record, listeners realize that Bayside has kept its wonderful core sound. Anthony Raneri's legendary abrasive lyrics accompany his undeniably distinctive vocals, while Jack O'Shea melts your face off with brilliant lead guitar work and Chris Guglielmo paces everything with pounding drum beats. It's a formula that is tried and true, that has launched Bayside into an elite level of bands in the last decade or so, and something that shouldn't be, and rightfully wasn't, changed....full text If there is one band in the scene that needs no introduction (well, aside from Brand New), it would be Bayside. Everyone knows the background: band makes an album. Tragic accident strikes band (R.I.P. Beatz). Band soldiers on in memory of lost band mate/friend. A band such as Bayside deserves some level of success. After dealing with the loss of John Holohan and the whole Victory Records fiasco, Bayside, now a member of Wind-Up Records, seem poised to…well, at least shake-up the scene with the release of Killing Time.

Killing Time isn’t just an “emo” album; it is a legitimate rock album. Not in the sense of mainstream “rock,” but a real rock album. Anthony Raneri belts out the lyrics better than ever, blending his vocals seamlessly with the harmonies provided by the rest of the band (“It’s Not a Bad Little War”). “The Wrong Way” showcases the guitar work of Jack Shea, who absolutely shreds with the most face-melting solo ever found on a Bayside record.

Lyrically, Raneri is back to revealing his demons, with lines such as “You’re the type of girl / who puts on cyanide perfume. / Then asks for kisses on the neck / from every boy in the room,” (“The Wrong Way”) and “You’ve made a mess of things. / My, what a mess you’ve made. / I hate the way you make me feel, / I hate the way you make me…” (“Sick, Sick, Sick”). While some of the lyrics aren’t gems, they help convey the emotion that Raneri is putting in to his work. The only real knock on the album is “On Love, On Life,” which slows the momentum of the album and kills all the energy built to that point. “On Love, On Life” would be more fitting as the album closer instead of found towards the end....full text If there has been one band that has deserved notice because of their personal strength and musical talent over the last several years, it would have to be Bayside. After the death of their drummer John Holohan, the band (who was also physically injured at the time) made an unplugged acoustic EP/DVD which served as healing for the band, as well as later recording the acclaimed candid album “The Walking Wounded.” After their 2008 record “Shudder” and being free of (the often-critisized) Victory Records‘ grasp, the band went in search of another label to shop their newly discovered punk-styled rock which was brought to light with their last record. The result was a deal with Wind-Up Records, and the creation of “Killing Time,” the first full-length for the band in more then three years time.

When I heard Bayside had finished their contract with Victory, I was anxious to hear new material (free from any executive’s mainstream marketing input), but when I heard the band was working with Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, The Pixies, Counting Crows) and by extension Wind-Up, I was a little worried the bands sound might yet again be put into a position to be curbed to fit into a pre-designed slot instead of letting it grow naturally. After letting “Killing Time” cycle a few times and come to rest on my mind, I have come to the conclusion that, while the record does have a few radio-friendly tendencies (really unavoidable), this is still Bayside and to that end, it is exactly what you’ve come to expect and yearn for from the band. Case in point is the album’s first single “Sick Sick Sick,” which acts as a symmetrical steady rock song the likes of Motion City Soundtrack or Alkaline Trio, with Anthony sneaking lyrics with depth into the unremarkable chorus chants. Honestly Anthony’s voice has made its final transition into perfectly mimicking the flair-y vocals of the often freskishly-haired Justin Pierre (Motion City Soundtrack)....full text