But every so often, I stumble onto a band that does the genre justice, and Toche Amore, (at least on this new LP) are just that. They just play with so much energy and melody it's hard to deny tracks like "Just Exist" and "Anyone/Anything", for the mere fact that they not only rock hard, but lyrically these tracks are poetic and detailed.
The entirety of Is Survived By, seems to be about self-acceptance and realizing that in order to live a decent life, you have to give it your all. Which is a refreshingly sincere attitude in a generation of apathetic, irony-obsessed teens and young adults who are too busy drinking Starbucks and writing their novel on transcendental black metal, to really express a legitimate emotion.
Aside from being an incredibly like-able album conceptually, Is Survived By is also an incredibly loud and often aggressive LP, with every line screamed, but not to the point where you can't understand what's being said. In fact, this is one of the most readable and coherent vocalists I've ever heard in this genre. And that's a good thing, because he's also one of the better writers I've heard in a while, though he can delve into sappy territory on a few tracks here.
This seems to happen every year; I find an album in a genre that usually makes me cringe, that I actually find to be not only a great album, but perhaps one of the finest I've heard all year. Check it out.
8.5/10
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