Death and Desire

The Army Marches

There’s some merit in doing things well. When it comes to rock music, there are several ways to get it done; some bands take the simplistic route, and do it well. Death and Desire has a rather generic rock sound, but that doesn’t make it bad. Songs like “Discipline” and opener “Separated” don’t break new ground, what with the standard rock flair of deep riffs and semi-catchy hooks.

Once you get through those, the record actually hits a decent stride. “Fool Alone” has a harder sound than the band’s contemporaries Pillar or even Three Days Grace. In fact, the first half of the album is much more driving and heavy than the second half. “Daddy’s Girl” has a great screaming bridge, diving into Dead Poetic territory, which is hard for some bands to accomplish because Dead Poetic’s vocalist Brandon Rike has extensive vocal chops. But Death and Desire’s frontman, Trevor LaChapelle, actually channels it quite well here.

Continuing through, the band takes a turn and goes more into the style popularized by Korn, with odd time signatures and tones over soft, melodic vocals – and it gets a bit eerie how much Death and Desire sounds like that Bakersfield, Calif., quintet.

“Broken Fingers” has a good backing beat that leads into “Headwound,” which features a style similar to Trapt’s “Headstrong,” complete with screams and melodies we’re now used to on this Death and Desire effort. The title track suffers from sounding almost too much like Korn, while the album ends with a ballad in the acoustic-driven “Destiny.”

In essence, the band is definitely willing to try new things when it comes to its music, and it works to the band’s advantage at some moments. The record as a whole is a mixed bag, but if you like some of the bands mentioned, you’re sure to find something to like.