Post-hardcore fans rejoice: the drought is finally over! June marks the release of I The Mighty‘s debut album Satori which, to me, is the first true release of the genre this year! When the band released their single Speak To Me in April I was severely stoked and was expecting to be completely blown away by the entire thing. Want to know whether my hopes were fulfilled? Read on then.
To be blunt with you: the quartet from San Francisco does in no shape or form introduce any new elements to the genre, but instead use the known elements with utter perfection. Starting with the musicianship, the guitars are in perfect tandem and deliver an endless shower of riffs which are mostly in the melodic department but also cross to the heavy side every now and then. The drums and the bass are on the exact same level of pure goodness and keep the groove going at all times, giving the ensemble the appropriate background.
Luckily, the production does the thirteen songs justice in every way, which makes the experience even more enjoyable. However, it doesn’t stop there. These guys just know how to write interesting and well-thought out songs which is definitely noticeable, especially after consecutive listening sessions. Trust me, these fifty-two minutes will become shorter every time you re-listen to them.
As if all of the above wasn’t enough, you are treated to a top notch singer whose vocals have quite a broad spectrum, ranging from cleans to screams in pretty much every pitch you can imagine. In addition there are guest vocals by Colleen D’Agostino of the band The Material on the song Four Letter Words, which simply give the song the extra special flavor it needs to be among my favorites on the record.
If you are wondering if there’s any downside to this record then I have to disappoint you: nope. It has quickly catapulted itself to my top 5 releases of the year thus far and even though I am still expecting quite a few good albums, I wouldn’t be angry if this was the pinnacle of 2013. I absolutely urge you to listen to it, whether you are into post-hardcore or not. For more information you can go to the band’s Facebook page, and the above-mentioned song can be heard below. Enjoy and you stay classy, San Diego…err San Francisco.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo0JPviuK5c]