The Eyes Of A Traitor

The next, and best, in a recent surge of British metalcore groups, the Eyes of a Traitor bring the kind of talent, songwriting chops and overall understanding of dynamics to the table that Bring Me the Horizon can only dream of. Kicking off the proceedings with a solid Meshuggah-style groove workout and some funky, creative vocal patterns, the group then take on a more melodic, progressive guise throughout the remainder of the disc. Backing up solid, meaty chugs with layered harmonies and epic soloing, the combination is somewhat unoriginal but effective. At points, they resemble a shreddier Misery Signals, jettisoning the more post-rock-inspired passages for a more metallic aesthetic. The expected interludes and spacey meanderings are present but they aren't a formative aspect of the songwriting. Here and there, keyboard parts make an appearance and are incorporated fully into the tracks, as opposed to sprinkled in as an afterthought. Production-wise, they've opted for a polished, audible sound that could be improved upon for future outings — if you're going to make your record sound perfect, at least make it sound good. For a debut, A Clear Perception shows a fair bit of promise, and Eyes of a Traitor could develop into a flagship act for Listenable Records if they focus less on aping established acts and more on developing a few unique characteristics to set them apart from the pack.