Music

In the Wake of DeterminationStory of the Yearout now« « «Extremo. Metalcore. Post-hardcore. As the boundaries between punk, metal and emo gradually blur, music journalists become ever more inventive in the terms they use to classify the emerging sounds. In the past couple of years, bands such as Thrice and Funeral For A Friend have combined the aggression of hardcore with metallicriffs and the melody of emo, to both critical acclaim and commercial success.In the US, Story Of The Year are one of the leading exponents of this new genre. Ddespite having formed nearly a decade ago, it is only recently that they have made their mark on the record industry. Their debut, 2003’s Page Avenue, sold nearly a million copies, and the band have spent the past two years touring extensively, with this album attemptingto capture the intensity of those live performances. Tracks such as the driving Our Time Is Now, or the pure hardcore punk of Meathead, are truly ferocious, combining heavy, grindingguitars with singer Ddan Marsala’s impressive guttural howls.Ddespite their new found aggression,the production is still slick, and ultimately it is melody that remains Story Of The Year’s undeniable forte. Particular highlights include superblyinfectious album opener and first single We Don’t Care Anymore, the hook-laden Taste The Poison, and the punk rush of Take Me Back. It is this gift for melody that sets Story Of The Year apart from their contemporaries and is clearly key to their immense success on the other side of the Atlantic.However, towards the end of the album the listener’s attention begins to wander. Although In The Wake Of Determination is a relatively consistentalbum, its fundamental weakness is its lack of variation. Later tracks on the album, although not inherently bad, feel repetitive and formulaic, with identical song structures and predictable chord changes. Only a hidden track at the end of the album, a subtle acoustic number, indicates that Story Of The Year have the potential to be more than a one trick pony. Whereas other post-hardcore bands, such as Thrice, have pushed themselves artistically as their career progresses, Story Of The Year are already beginning to sound stagnant. For an album that started so promisingly,it is frustrating that the band’s creativity seems to run out half way through. The band are also occasionallylet down lyrically. In particular, the earnest and autobiographical Five Against The World, despite being one of the strongest melodies on the album, is the sound of a band that is taking themselves too seriously.Overall, this is an impressive sophomore effort, and there is no doubting the musicianship or songwriting capabilities of the band. It remains to be seen whether over time Story Of The Year can develop further, and produce something truly worthy of the hype.ARCHIVE: 5th week MT 2005