You tell me, I don't know
You know the drill. Screamed hardcore vocals. Thrashy, post-punk rock. If there was a little melody in the vocals maybe it would be ok. The guitars have some interesting lines, though meandering. I don't know what to do with music like this. It's too mainstream to be cool and transgressive like the Blood Brothers, but it's too wacked out and unmelodic to be catchy and straight like The Plastic Constellations or something.
A little variation in the vocals would bring Versus The Mirror up a great many notches. It's just retarded having vocals this monotone, this aggressive, against music this conducive to melody. It's like if Miles Davis farted over his jazz ensemble instead of played trumpet. Consequently, the best song on the album is the instrumental The Sound Asleep, an ambient piece that lets the band show off its chops without the vocals interferring where they are not needed. It's also a nice change from the headache of the other songs. Likewise, Home, another instrumental.
Imagine if the singer from Unearth fronted Coheed and Cambria. Now, Versus The Mirror are not as good as either of those bands. What Versus The Mirror needs is a producer who can whip them into shape and get them to focus on songwriting and then maybe better things would start to happen. As it stands now, there's nothing for me here at all.
(Equal Vision Records/Stomp Distribution)
