I’ve always been a sucker for epic sounding music, no matter what the genre is. In high school, this manifested itself in several RadioU bands. I’ll never forget the feeling I had sitting on my bedroom floor, listening to Thousand Foot Krutch’s “Bounce” on the X2003 compilation CD. As a fourteen year old I thought I had discovered the greatest thing.

As time went on I grew up, and many of the bands I listened to in high school went the way of the guilty pleasure band. I decided much of what I liked as a teen was corny (yet still blasted those songs from time to time in the privacy of my home). Tragic? Maybe.

Well, Boston Manor is here to tell you that you can be older and unashamedly like epic rock music. It’s an acceptable medium to wrap up your emotions in—no matter how old you are. However, there’s the corny route, and there’s the other way. Boston Manor chooses the other way, even though the former is a method there’s nothing wrong with (even though some artists that practice this method would beg to differ on their songwriting style).

Listening to Welcome to the Neighborhood gives me a feeling somewhat similar to when I was college freshman and RED’s End of Silence was at the height of it’s popularity. These songs don’t incorporate strings (RED has that lane) but they share the characteristic of being well structured anthems with several layers. I also find it notable how the band is able to incorporate elements of their pop punk past in this new dark paradigm. We hear this mainly in some of the rhythms and guitar playing styles—introductory riffs and fast drumming. There’s a line in “Bad Machine” that goes, “You float like a butterfly but sting like a bee”—an unintentional, albeit adept descriptor of Boston Manor’s new sound.

Earlier this year I wrote about “Halo” and mentioned how good it was at capturing that anticipatory summer sound. The whole of the record takes that feeling and runs with it—yet I think I’ll find myself coming back year round.

My favorite tracks are the aforementioned “Halo” and “Bad Machine,” along with the title track. I know it’s ironic that I’m commenting on the opener near the end of this review, but an album opener and an album closer are often key in setting the tone and the legacy of the record. “The Day I Ruined Your Life” explores a power ballad like progression that’s been tread many times before—yet it’s just executed so well. And this isn’t an 80s hair metal power ballad. This is a layered slow burner that ramps up into a poignant ending that no doubt will leave an impression on fans as they wrap up the record.

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