It Lives, It Breathes – “Silver Knights” [Album Review]

This is a story about how the Internet is amazing and a terrible place at the same time. I follow Fronz from Attila on Facebook/Twitter/YouTube because he’s the perfect blend of outcast and success, taking extreme behavior that generates criticism from keyboard warriors, solidifying a loyal fan base and turning it into a revenue stream. It’s brilliant! There’s really no other way of describing it, unless you’re jealous and only say negative things 24/7. Fronz somewhat recently expanded his brand “Stay Sick” to include a record label to which he signed It Lives, It Breathes, which is how I first encountered this group.

Their first music video/single “Independance Day” (intentional spelling) received mixed reviews, presumably from the over-the-top costumes and performance, which caught many predominately metalcore fans in unfamiliar territory, not knowing within which context to judge the music, not to mention the singer’s uncanny resemblance to Dennis Reynolds from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Regardless, if one were to simply listen to the music, it’s undeniably hooky as well as captivating, unless you’re a music elitist, in which case, you’re probably going to hell given how many people’s moods you’ve routinely ruined.

The music itself might be best described as “electro-core;” however, in my semi-humble opinion, that term is misleading, relative to other bands in the genre, because ILIB’s execution of the EDM/pop writing elements is unparalleled. Silver Knights opens with the track “Testify,” which within moments exposes you to the high energy, dance/rock vibe that is prominent throughout this album. The dance/pop is definitely felt most through the synth/piano performance with the drums reminding you that this is still a rock band with double bass pedal rhythms underneath the wall of glam. Also – the yells/screams are on point and meticulously spice up the jamz, reminding you that it’s 2016 and that it’s okay to be unnecessarily sassy.

Easily my favorite aspect of this album, and quite possibly the band as a whole, is Kevin’s vocal performance. He’s quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite vocalists. Besides his unquestionable skill and talent, his vocal timbre is unadulterated soulfulness. The chorus and bridge of “Dancing In The Dark” leaves you with a nostalgia for ’80s level arena rock, where the stage production reflects the epicness of the music. I wasn’t even alive during that time period, which only means one thing – this music transcends the time dimension.

Track Listing:

01. Testify
02. Got No Time
03. Devils Feat. Jonny Craig
04. Dancing In The Dark
05. Silver Knights
06. Prizefigher
07. Lvnatic
08. World War Me
09. The Eulogy
10. Miley Virus (The One) Feat. Kyle Lucas
11. Love On Repeat
12. Afterlight

Run Time: 45:16
Release Date: April 1, 2016

Check out the track “Got No Time” here.