Bayside
“”Sirens and Confessions””
(Victory Records)
I think Victory did these guys a grave injustice when they advertised this album alongside Thursday and Taking Back Sunday. That puts the notion in people’s heads that Bayside sounds similar to the aforementioned bands. Bayside combine the So-Cal punk sound with a bit of a metallic crunch, rather than the pop-punk styling of many bands in the emo scene.
The metallic side of Bayside’’s music is definitely one of their saving graces as the material that is heavier is also evidently the best material. ‘’Masterpiece’’ is one of the album standouts, sounding like a much more raw version of Jimmy Eat World at times with its huge groove and melodic vocals.
One of the major drawbacks to this album is the fact that most of the material fails to leave a lasting impression. A sign of a truly great album is that when you’re done listening to it, you want to turn it right back on and I wasn’’t feeling that. Throughout the record the vocals tend to be stale, giving the music a bland taste; there’s no flavor.
