I The Current

With a name like ‘I, The Current,’ I was expecting a full metalcore assault. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when you hear a lot of it, you just hope there’s some ingenuity in there. Always mind-prepping for disaster.

I was pleasantly surprised when I, The Current’s record became a worthy listening venture. It started to evolve after the first track into something more Evergreen-Terrace-meets-Exposions-in-the-Sky, exploring guitar riffs and instrumental sections octaves above what today’s metalcore listeners are used to. It has that other stuff, too, but when it’s not every other music phrasing, it’s the perfect seasoning in fashioning a full meal.

One thing that would really step up the game of this album is the band’s commitment to professionalism. Throughout a number of the songs, the guitars are wildly out of tune, sometimes so dissonant you can hear it in the power chords. About the only time you get the perfect chance to make your instrument sound the way it was meant to sound is in a studio setting; this isn’t a live show or a live recording or an attempt to recreate your live show — commit to the recording and tune your instrument. It’s an entry-level stop in showing the business-level mindset of the band. The small things count when someone wants to spend their money on you, all up and down the food chain: listeners, consumers, radio, labels, the people in their bedrooms who will probably never see your band live in their whole life.

The guts and beauty are here, though; the small things on The Seeking, like intonation, can be cleaned up. Do yourself the favor of jamming it top-to-bottom, but welcome the dissonance. And buy a ticket to see them live. It was meant to be heard that way.