The Banner

First off, 6/10 isn’t a poor score for an album. Sure, when compared to the plethora of scores above 9 you’ll find here (most of which I find questionable, but hey – music is about as subjective as a topic of discussion can be), it may stick out, but let’s be reasonable – a kid getting 60% on his English tests is still passing school.

Frailty finds Ferret’s drudgy metalcore act not missing a beat in delivering some overtly angry, high-energy madness nowhere near as apt as Converge, but far beyond anything a band like Emmure has done thus far. When “Funerals” pops up on an iPod playlist, for example, I find myself wishing I was 17 again, headbanging while being crushed against the guardrail at some inner city dive. The breakdowns are delightfully dissonant, and the vocal performance on the record is quite admirable, ultimately granting Frailty its much-needed flagship element.

My issue with the record comes in longevity. Not so much the fact that I can’t listen to it on repeated occasions, because a few tracks here and there sound as brutal as they did upon first listen; it’s moreso the fact that I can’t get through it all at once. The band’s sense of dynamics, while notable in select tracks like “Dusk” and the beautiful closer “The Father And The Wayward Son,” can’t stop from becoming a mere watermark to a continual auditory onslaught throughout the album, at least as far as I’m considered (and my opinion is what matters here, suckers).

I’m led to believe that a live performance from this band would be delightful, and I’m sure I’ll be tossing a few tracks here and there on to my various seasonal mix tapes; however, with heavy music in particular, it takes a very well-written record to keep my attention. A few bands have done it on repeat occasions, but The Banner hasn’t quite pulled it off, at least on this attempt.

There are enough goodies here to make me look forward to future material from these guys, and despite what I think, if you’re a fan of chaotic aggression that wouldn’t be out of place providing the score to an axe murder, spin it – we all have our pleasures. After all, The Banner did make the grade… but just barely.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Welcome Fuckers
02. The Wolf
03. Leechbath
04. A Hellbound Heart
05. On Hooks
06. Iwiwd
07. Sphrenia
08. Funerals
09. Dusk
10. I Am Legion
11. Ratflesh
12. The Father And The Wayward Son

Run Time: 34:38