Album Review

Remember the ‘90s? When spirit-filled hardcore was so prevalent most indie record shops could‘ve had an entire section devoted to it? When Unashamed, Focused, Strongarm and their peers were crisscrossing the continent throwing down their straightforward message? Josiah sure do, and the Indiana quintet are reviving the SFHC of yesteryear, combining that period‘s gritty intensity with today‘s studio polish and sheer heaviness for a hybrid that‘s downright scary. The production on Verona isn‘t the greatest; the vocals throughout, save the singing and harmonies, remind me of the monotonous sound of Luti-Kriss‘ one and only album Throwing Myself: piped-in and tediously screechy, but that reflects on the production budget, not the performer. Leadoff track ‘Verona Forgotten‘ instantly brings to mind The Chariot, with its full-throttle aggression and somewhat sloppy, off-the-floor sound, while ‘Todd P. Hepler‘ is one of two songs on the album that clear six minutes, reminiscent of Fewleftstanding‘s jazzy breaks and roaring power. Quiet, bass-led melodic parts (oh, I miss Overcome listening to this!) set up slow, pounding rhythms with breakdowns everywhere; the entire album has an oppressive feel, perhaps due to its repetitive nature - the band are clearly fans of As I Lay Dying‘s Beneath the Encasing of Ashes.

Various flavours like spoken-word passages and gang chants are sprinkled here and there, relieving the metalcore chaos. The oldschool grit melded with today‘s thudding breakdowns is perhaps best displayed on sixth track ‘The Blood Loss‘, which is also about the time the one-dimensional vocal sound gets downright detrimental to the album as a whole, but it can be overlooked when the sincerity level is this high. ‘Garment‘ seethes with Josiah‘s "faith, hope and love" message, and ‘Requiem For A Dream‘ brings back the oldschool sound for one more go-round. The omnipresent chugga-chugga-WEEE guitar sound popularized by the Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch and Norma Jean(you know what I‘m talking about) is well-represented here - quite honestly, when this works, it works well, particularly the breakdowns. Josiah are entirely competent, though hampered by subpar production and an amateurish vibe. Keep in mind this is their first album, and they‘re only going to get better.

[Indie Vision Music]

-Mike Postma

[Ed. The band has changed their name and are currently playing under the name The Unfolding.]

Copyright ©2005