And The Hero Fails

It seems that the trendy genre mutation as of late has been a choppy blend of screamo, metalcore, and the slightest hint of alt-rock. Dipping their toes in all of the above while never standing out within any of them, And The Hero Fails plod their way through six sloppy, uninteresting numbers over the course of this debut EP. The songs abruptly change gears from one-note open-E chuggathons to a more polished, emo-oriented sound — made all the more hackneyed and third rate by the vocalist’s downright irritating resemblance to the worst of Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo. The group brings their best track to the table with the album closer, "Bleeding Regret,” but a somewhat diverting breakdown or a brief flurry of tech does make this a solid release. To make matters worse, audible lines such as "a knife in the back for good measure” or worse yet, "she will love you, she will cut your throat,” only lower the band’s chances of standing out within a grossly oversaturated market. As with most releases of this kind, the production is the strong point, but hearing the instruments clearly cannot disguise the half-assed material displayed. Several steps below warranting a purchase, even as a guilty pleasure.