It Dies Today – Lividity

Buffalo, NY metalcore act It Dies Today has been enjoying considerable success as in the hardcore scene since joining Trustkill records back in 2004.  However, in 2006 founding member and lead vocalist Nicholas Brooks departed for personal reasons, leaving the band searching for a replacement.  After finding Jason Wood in 2007, the band took their sweet time before looking forward and it took nearly three years to see their next release.  The release, 2009’s Lividity, marks Wood’s studio debut, and a new chapter for the band.

The first thing fans will want to know is how Wood compares to Brooks, and how the change effects the band’s chemistry.  After listening to a few tracks side by side reveals that the band didn’t want to water things down with a new vocalist, and as a commitment to their fans, actually went the route of finding a vocalist with a deeper, throatier growl.  And it shows on the album.  While previous outings bounced fairly consistently back and forth between whinny, emo choruses and thick hardcore growls, Lividity outright favours hardcore over emo.  In fact, there are quite a few tracks where Wood never even brings out the old high-pitched wail.  True, this isn’t a first for the band, but it is more frequent and will likely make the band more appealing for the hardcore crowd.  When all is said and done, I doubt fans will find much to complain with regarding Wood.

Musically though, I think purists will find issue with how the band combines its melodic and frenzied influences.  Rather than integrate both styles with one other and create some sort of well planned out hybrid, like in bands like Vanna, Lividity simply bounces back and forth between styles – almost sounding like two different records being switched on and off. Everything about the band changes, from tempo to complexity.  When Wood takes the hardcore road the guitars blaze and drums pound.  But when he switches back to the emo path the intensity stops and the passion disappears.  The transition between styles just doesn’t feel natural, and is where fans will likely find the most to complain about.

As far as metal goes, there are a few interesting solos scattered around the album, like in “Miss October” or particularly on “Come Undone,” but they’re a rare treat at best.

Fans aside, for everyone else It Dies Today will sound like the same hardcore “lite” band it’s always been.  Lividity is the type of record that the 35 year old guy behind the counter at Hot Topic with the ratty Ringworm t-shirt and forked beard will likely try to pushing on tight jeaned emo kids as a stepping stone to the world of hardcore.  In other words, its marketable hardcore made for the masses, and fairly average at that.  Unless you are a devoted fan, I think it’s safe to pass this one by.