Review - Senses Fail – The Fire

Returning to the fray with their fourth studio album, The Fire, Senses Fail sound revitalised and ready to charge forwards once more, and make their mark. They have always, for some unknown reason, been considered as the underdogs of the scene, and they have consistently put out some great material, but have never really reached the dizzying heights of some of their peers. They are a talented bunch, who have penned some real catchy tracks over the years.

Let It Enfold You was an inspired debut, and their follow up Still Searching was just as anthemic, as Senses Fail progressed their style, and started to hit their stride. Life Is Not A Waiting Room didn’t seem to register with me upon its release, and to be honest, I can’t really recall ever listening to it. The fact that I somehow may have missed this, only furthers my point about this New Jersey crew not getting the praise they have deserved, nor the exposure. Under hyped, and always flying under the radar, their third album seems to have been dropped without much promo or fan adulation. At some point, I will need to have a listen, and see what I have been missing.

The Fire is an ambitious record, and across the board, is a solid offering. Over the course of the 11 tracks here, Senses Fail hit an extremely self assured stride, and the songs soar as a result of their clear confidence in their ability. The songs are hugely enjoyable, showcasing a blend of the post hardcore, screamo and straight up emo influences you would expect, littered with driving guitars, riffs, and Buddy Nielsen’s inimitable distinct vocals. Here is another example of how screams and melodic choruses can be merged into one body of work, and impress the listener hugely.

The opening salvo of The Fire, and what follows, showcase a real quality, and Saint Anthony, New Year’s Eve, and Safe House complete a brilliant opening set. The quality throughout is consistently high, and on first listen, Landslide, Headed West and Lifeboats all sounded real highlights and HUGE songs.

I will definitely need to listen to this again before I can sing along in full voice with this, but the anthems are clearly hear, and with a few more spins, will undoubtedly get etched on your brain. A great album, and one that will get better, the more that you listen to it, I am sure.

8.5/10