Senses Fail

Playing misogyny-core like it’s going out of style, New Jersey’s Senses Fail write really catchy songs that deal primarily with killing your girlfriend. Though vocalist James "Buddy” Nielsen’s delivery can take some getting used to, it’s not entirely terrible, and at least somewhat original. This cannot necessarily be said of the band’s songs, however, and as a result, much of the record suffers from the "Where have I heard this before…?” syndrome. There are certainly some strong moments to be found here: the awesome metal riffage of "You’re Cute When You Scream” is great (right up until the moment where the melody kicks in), and there is no denying the strong songwriting on "NJ Falls into the Atlantic.” All in all, it’s probably not as bad as it could be.