Obey the Brave

It's a little strange for a group that are so obviously riding the coattails of their former bands' success to have a song called "Self Made." The group in question are Obey the Brave and their tickets to the top? Well, without the accomplishments of Despised Icon, Blind Witness and (less notably) Darkness Rites, an album like Young Blood wouldn't be coming out on multiple labels (Epitaph, Distort), following a stint on the All Stars Tour. That's not to say Young Blood is bad, but mediocrity shouldn't attract attention so fast. Obey the Brave are "metalcore dudes playing pseudo-hardcore," in the vein of the Ghost Inside. At times, it's relatively successful (lead singles "Live and Learn" and "Get Real"), while at others (read: the majority of Young Blood) it's simply the Ghost Inside redux. Although Young Blood may serve as ample fodder for a mosh pit, if art is self-expression, it falls short of the mark ― Obey the Brave feel more like replication.