It seems that we as music fans always find something to complain about. Even I am guilty of this. I tend to complain about the Billboard charts and the albums that control it. It really bothers me what the masses deem popular and successful. However, when a vocalist changes his or her vocal style that is not something to complain about I feel. Jimmy Stadt the front man of this incredible band went in a new direction on this album. Gone is the gruffness and present is more clean crisp singing. One that a lot of fans and critics are not feeling at the moment, this writer however is loving it. It reminds me of Tim McLlrath from Rise Against.
Polar Bear Club has been a band for 8 years and in that amount of time they have released 4 EPs, 4 LPs and one live album. So they are a very busy band. Death Chorus is their latest release and first on new label Rise Records. This is a label more known for its metal core than pop-punk or hardcore.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDY_Rj39Olk&h=297&w=450]Death Chorus begins with “Blood Balloon” which also happens to be the first single. Right away we are met with Jimmy’s new singing style. This is a song I was familiar with already. They played it when I saw them a few months back with Taking Back Sunday. I liked it then and I like it even more now. This was a good song to start the album with simply because it does a good job of showcasing his new singing style very well. This continues throughout the next few songs. About halfway through we get a ballad, “Siouxsie Jeanne”. This isn’t anything new to Polar Bear Club fans. They tend to have a ballad on all their releases. In this case however it seems as if the song is an intermission. The next song on the album picks up the pace and the songs are a little faster than the first half of the album. Over the course of the album it is also obvious that this is a band that has grown. They have always been a tight-knit band but on this album they are tighter than ever. This is very clear in the song, “Twang (Blister to Burn)”. This is their radio hit. This is the song that if heard can change their career. Another standout track is “Upstate Mosquito”. If I didn’t know any better I would think it was left over from the last album, Clash Battle Guilt Pride. For fans of the band that is a good thing to hear. The album ends with the song, “Saw Blade”. What a song to end with. It is fast and full of energy. It leaves you wanting more.
Above I mentioned that Jimmy’s new singing style was reminiscent of Tim McLlrath. Well, at this point in the album the band as a whole has a Rise Against feel to them. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a bad thing. If there is one band to emulate right now, it is Rise Against. I hope, similarly to Rise Against, that Polar Bear Club gains some new fans and attracts some interest from a major label. This release should be the album that breaks them out and sets them apart from a scene that they have never belonged to. This is a band that deserves to be heard by the masses.
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