Escape The Fate have seen a fair amount of change over the years. With the line-up in constant flux and new areas of inspiration being regularly brought into the creative fold, they still refuse to tire out. Even on their sixth album, they sound as full of energy as always. Their new record I Am Human takes more of a bare bones approach to the instrumental element for the most part, but still contains all of the classic Escape The Fate characteristics that fans have come to identify with the band. Great songs and killer choruses grace this record from start to end, showing just how much they have refined their work.
Opening track Beautifully Tragic is unmistakeable as it dives straight into a lead guitar part ornamented heavily with pinch harmonics. Though not as attention grabbing and intense as the opening tracks on some of their other albums, it does well to show off the sound as it is today, with following tracks Broken Heart and Four Letter Word continuing this theme. I Will Make It Up To You incorporates an almost pop-punky sound with its fast paced verses. Bleed For Me drops the ball a little, coming across somewhat sluggish and uneventful with its low tempo after the slew of high energy tracks.
Do You Love Me brings it back in force; the duality of Craig Mabbitt’s powerful vocals preceding a stomping, powerful riff shows off two of the band’s greatest assets. Verses filled with stuttering, glitchy guitars are a refreshing way to mix it up after a somewhat formulated first half of the album. Topping all this off with a scorching solo, this is potentially the strongest track on the album.
The title track I Am Human gives rise to some of the newer elements to the band’s sound- an infusion of electronic parts and a piano help in making this a powerful anthem. Acoustic track If Only is a departure from the overall sound of the record, and a perfect opportunity to showcase the finer side of Craig’s vocal capacity. Recipe For Disaster brings the power with some nu-metal influence; Korn being a clear inspiration. Although for the most part heavy, dark songs have given way for big choruses on this album- this song shows that the band can still throw out a dirty, nasty metal song.
The chorus for Riot sounds like it could have just as easily come from an old Mötley Crüe album, whereas the following track Digging My Own Grave is metalcore through and through, boasting venomous screams and blistering rhythms. Choosing to close the album with a remastered version of the acoustic track from the last album Let Me Be was an interesting move. Although its nothing new to hear for existing fans, it feels far more congruous put on this record than it did on the last.
Bringing in some contemporary influences and refining their sound, this album is no exception to the fact that Escape The Fate are a versatile and ever-evolving band who will never simply work within the confines of their existing work. Although perhaps not their strongest offering to date, Escape The Fate have managed to do what many strive for an ultimately fail in; culminating everything they’ve learned thus far in their careers into a record that displays elements of everywhere they’ve been so far. I Am Human is out March 30th via Eleven Seven Music.
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