After seven long years, Saosin has finally returned with their third record. It’s a record full of firsts: their first full-length with original vocalist Anthony Green (also of Circa Survive), their first record without vocalist Cove Reber, and their first without original guitarist Justin Shekowski, who has left to join The Used.

This is the type of music I used to listen to when I was in college. Now that I’m older, I have lost my taste for it, and as a result, this music feels like a lot of noise. Aside from a couple of tracks, the record comes across as very dull and bland. Let’s just say that fans of Green’s other band, Circa Survive, might appreciate his vocals, but they won’t really tolerate much else here.

First single “The Silver String” sounds like old school emo from the early 2000s, and that’s cause for celebration for some. The song is decently good, but it’s not as great as it could be. Overall, this feels like a record I would’ve listened to back in college reviewing records for punkbands.com (R.I.P.) Really heavy riffs and loud, screaming vocals abound here, but unless you’re a moody teenager or a grown man caught in a midlife/existential crisis, then this is not the record for you.

There’s some decent stuff here, however. The frenetic “Racing Towards A Red Light” highlights Green’s screaming abilities, though not much else. Fortunately, not everything sounds so extreme; “Control And The Urge To Pray” starts off very heavy but has some great mellow vocals until everything comes together and the song sounds heavy all over. The one main standout is “Count Back From Ten,” which is a decent enough track; it definitely manages to break out from the rest of the pack and comes across as a bit of ear candy.

Maybe it’s the fact that I no longer listen to just strictly loud, abrasive music all the damn time, but this isn’t really anything notable or outstanding. It’s nice to hear Green outside of Circa Survive and back with his original band, but this disc is one of the most bland, uninspiring discs of the year.

Rating: C

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