I Am Alpha And Omega - The Roar And The Whisper (ALBUM REVIEW)

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The hardcore genre has been on a roller coaster ride over the last five or six years. At times, it has been innovating and exciting, but at other times, it has been bland and predictable. So I always have reservations when I get ready to review an album from the genre.

I Am The Alpha And Omega’s new release The Roar And The Whisper fits well into what you have come to expect from music tagged with the hardcore/screamo label. While that is a definite hindrance for some bands, it is not necessarily a bad thing for this band.

The songs on this release are nicely written and rely heavily on guttural growls as well as clean elements. When listening to any heavy album of this nature I’m interested in how all the elements work together as a whole. The screaming found on the album is well done. I tend to prefer the tracks that are heavier to the tracks that rely more on the clean vocals. The screamer of the group has exceptional talent and brings a lot of raw energy to the tracks. The clean vocals found on the album are done well and they do bring new elements to the songs and help to vary the style somewhat. However, I guess I tend to prefer the heavy tracks with the clean vocals used more sparingly by personal preference.

The album is well produced and the songs are well written. The drums sound really nice and the guitar work found on the album is really one of my favorite parts about the entire album. The guitar work on tracks like “Deceiver” stands out and really just makes the song stand out as a personal favorite upon my first listen of the album. The album’s guitar work draws from various genres and really adds an element to the songs that makes this band stick out among some of their peers. The track “My Greatest Needs” has a nice mix of abrasive and clean vocals. It is a mostly heavy track but it ends with soft guitar and echoing vocals. Tracks such as these and the quality of song writing and arrangement really make the album stick out as not just another run of the mill band/album. “My Greatest Needs” definitely has strong single potential and may be one of the better songs I’ve heard from the genre in a while.

The one thing I didn’t expect on the album was the closing track, which takes the listener by surprise. It is really soft, beat-driven, and features clean vocals. It ends the album in an odd fashion. I would have liked to hear this album end heavy, but in a way it really shows the band trying to experiment and venture outside of what listeners might expect. I think this displays some interesting experimentation and diversity, but it still feels slightly out of place.

Overall, it definitely isn’t a reinvention of the wheel but it isn’t a bad interpretation at all. In fact, it is an enjoyable album that a fan of the various genres associated with rock could find enjoyment in while listening. It’s fast and slow, it’s catchy and abrasive, and it’s melodic and chaotic. I can’t help but listen to it and think somewhat of a band like Dead Poetic’s Four Wall Blackmail. It is a well-written album. It is not too cheesy lyrically and it has an interesting message. I’d say check this one out.