Search - Still Remains :: If Love Was Born to Die

WOW, totally didnt expect something this good...

sXe | 10/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My friend played me this cd, told me it was a christian hardcore band. Immediatly i think "dont wanna hear about jesus", and "theyre gonna sound like Zao". They did neither. I couldnt catch any spiritual lyrics, which still were in there, and they managed to not sound like a Zao ripoff. They have a keyboardist who totally adds a new layer of sound to their stuff. Only problem is, its too short. They are releasing an LP sometime next year. Other than that, totally recommended for anyone who like hardcore, emo, or screamo."

Still Remains = Hardcore at its best

Josh Douglas | Canada | 12/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening to hardcore music for a very long time and I have never heard a band this good in years, it is a shame that this is only and Ep, but with this release it's quality rather than quanty. if you like bands sucks as Remembering Never, Poison The Well, Across Five Aprils, The (old) Eighteen visions, It Dies Today, And Bleeding Throught you will without a doubt love this cd, and look out for Of Love and Lunacy out sometimes around March 2005 on Road Runner Records, Keyboard never sounded so good in Hardcore."

Pretty good

Keith H. Holguin | El Paso/San Antonio, TX | 06/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Still Remains' debut album, "If Love Was Born to Die" is certainly one that will appeal to fans of not only hardcore, but also straight up metal and rock fans. Hailing from the Midwest, it is surprising that something good has come from that area besides serial killers (a joke). Still Remains certainly kicks in the jams for the majority of these tracks. The opening track, "Six and One," definitely shows what this band brings to the table: good melody, catchy riffs, and well-done vocals. The main gripe about this album is that it sounds a lot like Bleeding Through, which is not a bad thing, but does nothing to bring originality to the band. The star track on this album is "Light Through Skin", which possesses one hell of a catchy chorus, where the keyboards nicely harmonize the guitar riff.



The keyboards on this album almost go in hand in hand with the music, yet fails at some points. Personally, keyboards in a hardcore band or a metal band in this case does not bring an immediate smile to my face, especially as heard in early Bleeding Through albums, where the keyboards were totally out of place. In "Recovery", the keys try to heighten the intensity of the track, but only make the song sound a bit cheesy. In addition, with the album being only 6 tracks long, the last track is a two and a half minute long piano epilogue, which cuts the number of real songs down to 5, which lessens the effect this album has on me.



Vocally, the screams are well done, reminiscent of Bleeding Through. Good, throaty vocals is to be expected with the occasional singing section all hardcore bands cannot leave out nowadays.



Overall, Still Remains comes out relatively strong with this release. With good guitar riffs, harmonizations by the keyboards, and strong vocals, these guys have the ability to come out strong in the scene.

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