Still Remains – “The Serpent”

Still Remains are back, and with a killer album. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, this metalcore power house wants to bring nothing but real metalcore (not any of that pussy shit) to the fold. Even though the band has only been around for 5 or 6 years, their reputation has grown from a small band, to that of a HUGE act, performing shows with the likes of Hawthorne Heights and Bullet For My Valentine. The line-up has changed in the past years, old members including Jason Wood of It Dies Today, and Steve Schallert of The Tide having moved on. Currently though, the band is T.J. Miller (vocals), Jordan Whelan (guitar), Mike Church (guitar/backing vocals), Steve Hetland (bass), Ben Schauland (keyboards), and Adrian Green (drums).

The opening track “The Serpent” is only just an intro for the album. A melodic, soothing instrumental, weaving the path for the record, and setting a certain mood. The track opens up to “The Wax Walls Of An Empty Room”, which is quite the heavy track. The instrumental is melodic, but heavy at the same time, resembling that of modern In Flames. T.J.’s vocals are insane; going from soothing, gentle vocals, to pure metal screams. I’d love to jump into the pit during this song and just thrash about like a crazed monkey.

In the dead middle of the album, track 6, is “Dropped From The Cherry Tree”. This track alone proves you don’t need heavy distortion and loud amps to still abuse the brutality of human vocal chords. T.J. projects his voice on a monumental level even when the instrumental is quiet. The solo during the track is of godlike proportions; I wanna jam along with him as soon as he strikes that first note.

The final song on the disc is “Avalanche” and is by far the heaviest, most insane track on the album; and by far my most favourite. The lyrics alone are enough to make the elderly have a stroke. The first line is “Wishing someone would break my legs”. Some other lyrics give off the impression that the band is taking bites at the government. One stands out hugely; “Experiments solely to find the strongest breed of chaos to further corrupt our world”. That single line impacted me, I can only imagine how it would strike it’s chord with the next person, and the next person.

All in all, the album was great. Every track was unique, and had its own flavor to it. I give The Serpent an 8.6/10.

Track Listing:

01. The Serpent
02. The Wax Walls Of An Empty Room
03. Stay Captive
04. Anemia In Your Sheets
05. Maria
06. Dropped From The Cherry Tree
07. Dancing With The Enemy
08. The River Song
09. Sleepless Nights Alone
10. An Undesired Reunion
11. Avalanche

Run Time: 41:52
Release Date: August 7, 2007

Check out the song: “Dancing With The Enemy”