The Walking Wounded

Bayside

Victory, 2007

http://www.baysiderocks.com

REVIEW BY: Paul Hanson

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/06/2007

This CD arrived in my mailbox on a Thursday. I listened to it five times in a row. You will too after hearing this energetic rock band.

Comparisons to Pain (the punk/ska band from Alabama) and My Chemical Romance immediately come to mind when listening to this, but such comparisons aren't really fair. Instead, Bayside is comfortable playing the punk/emo/rock genre with its own twists and giving each track a unique trait.

Vocalist/guitarist Anthony Raneri sings the lyrics in an engaging style, implying that he really believes what he is saying. So what?, you say. Many bands wear their hearts on their sleeves. Confessions and observations about pain and suffering are common in music. Yes, that's true, but Bayside confronts this expectation by not sounding like anybody else and creating an original style that comes out in each song.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

From the beginning, Bayside wants to stretch the emo-punk genre. There is a carnival-like 3/4 section as vocalist Raneri sings the first verse of this song. In this genre, I've noticed that most guitar solos typically rehash the main riff of the song, but in the opening track the solo is flashy and almost as well composed as any well-known solo from the 80s. Then there's a complete breakdown as Raneri sings over a soft piano, and finally the guitars rock to the conclusion of the track.

And that's just the first song. The lyrics on "They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns" include this tasty poetic gem: "She was a termite / eating away at my roots ... I wish we had never met," which Raneri delivers convincingly. The momentum continues through the subdue intro of "Duality" and "Carry On," which starts out as an all-out blitz up-tempo rocker then collapses into a melodic opening before ramping back up to the fast tempo.

"Head On A Plate" is catchy. When the opening concert bells (think Rush's "Closer To The Heart") mimic the vocal line, it is evident that Bayside is holding nothing back. The crisp delivery of Raneri, the precision of drummer Chris Guglielmo's starts and stops locks in with bassist Nick Ghanbarian while guitarist Jack O'Shea's work on this specific track is worth noting. "Landing Feet First," "Thankfully" and "A Rite Of Passage" lead the band to a stunning concluding track called "(Pop)ular Science" which ends the release with Raneri proclaiming "They don't care" repeatedly. This track sums up the magic of Bayside's material. 

The promo material that came with this CD proclaims Bayside was featured in Alternative Press's "Most Anticipated of 2007" issue. Readers also chose Bayside as the "Most Underrated Artist of 2006." I don't know what Bayside's other material sounds like but as someone who is new to the band, I was immensely satisfied.

Rating: A

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© 2007 Paul Hanson and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Victory, and is used for informational purposes only.