Recently, the very awesome show Two Minutes To Late Night started doing something quite fun and cool. They call it Splitsville and they have two bands cover each other. The first one was Every Time I Die and Cave In. Cave In chose the ETID song “Moor” from their album From Parts Unknown. Every Time I Die chose “Youth Overrided” from Cave In’s album Antenna. While Cave In did a great job on “Moor,” I have to say that Every Time I Die absolutely killed their cover. Ever since I heard it, I’ve been listening to it like crazy. It’s so damn good. I also have to put this out in the universe, we are in need of a Cave In & Every Time I Die tour in 2022!!!
In anticipation of Every Time I Die releasing their new album Low Teens this week, I thought it would be a good time to revisit all their albums and rank them for you all. So here you go from not their best to the best.
In no particular order (wait till the end of the year for that). These are the best albums I’ve heard all year!
1. Mastodon- Once More Round The Sun
2. Every Time I Die- From Parts Unknown
3. Chevelle- La Gargola
4. Seether- Isolate and Medicate
5. Sevendust- Time Travelers and Bonfires
6. Crosses- Crosses
7. Royal Blood- Out Of The Black EP
8. Against Me- Transgender Dysphoria Blues
9. And We Are Them- Align
10. Wild Throne- Blood Maker
11. New Cathedral- Ghost
12. Machines Learning- Machines Learning
13. He Whose Ox Is Gored- Nightshade EP
14. With Our Arms To The Sun- A Far Away Wonder
15. Black Map- Driver EP
16. Royal Blood- Royal Blood
17. The Last Internationale- We Will Reign
18. Wovenwar- Wovenwar
19. And We Are Them- City Of Ghosts
20. Obliterations- Poison Everything
21. Black Map- And We Explode
22. Bush- Man On The Run
23. Slipknot- .5 The Gray Chapter
24. Aeges- Above and Down Below
After countless years on the road and upping their game on every album, Every Time I Die seemed to have found the perfect balance of all that worked for them in the past. Teaming up with producer Kurt Ballou of Converge, From Parts Unknown is an unrelenting and cohesive album. All the things that make this band enjoyable is found throughout this album. The production is still raw but has a new approach to make certain instruments more prevalent in the songs and the vocals more coherent. Their previous album Ex Lives with producer Joe Barresi started the band on this track. Clocking in at 31 minutes, the 12 songs are full of introspective lyrics and memorable thrash/hardcore, some of the time adding a solid groove or a melodic tinge.
First track “The Great Secret” has all the above mentioned and then some. This song really kicks things off with a bang. “Decayin With The Boys” is classic Every Time I Die with bits of melody. “If There Is Room To Move, Things Move” is ferocious in its thrashy hardcore roots. “Thirst” is an aggressive heavy song with awesome breakdowns and a real attitude. “The Great Secret” has a Converge vibe to it along with a really heavy groove. “El Dorado” shifts gears a bit and is more of a melodic rock song with a 90’s guitar sound. “Overstayer” is the weakest track on the album. There really isn’t anything that is great about this song. “Moor” is a real departure for the band. Starting with a piano intro that melds very well with Keith Buckley’s clean vocals really showcases the band’s songwriting and ability to be diverse. This song is a real stand out. “Exomotorium” is a solid groove/hardcore song. “Pelican Of The Desert” is heavy and full of energy. It also features a guest vocal cameo from Sean Ingram of Coalesce. “All Structures Are Unstable” is a solidly good melodic hardcore song. Closing out the album is “Old Light” featuring Brian Fallon from The Gaslight Anthem. This song has the cleanest vocals on any Every Time I Die song ever. Musically it goes from a rock song to classic ETID.
All in all From Parts Unknown is dynamic and full of greatness. With the exception of one song, it is a stellar album. Every Time I Die has a knack for putting out solid material and this is no different. I would even dare to say that this album is a statement to all those that try to do what they do but always fall short. On the scale of 1-10, I’d give this an 8.5.
audioeclectica 