Columbus has a very diverse music scene. That is one of the things I love about this city. In my 4 years of living here I have come across plenty of bands that I enjoy, Two Cow Garage to The Castros to History’s History. All 3 just happen to be different genres. I can now add Christian melodic hardcore band Carev Dvor to that list. This is a band that has grown on me. The first few times I saw them live I was not too impressed. Over the past 6-8 months that has changed. And then they go and release this EP. These guys know what they are doing and they are doing it well.
Labor of Love is their first release for Delayed Gratification Records, a small label based in Pataskala, Ohio. The label is actually run by the singer’s older brother, which I find very cool. I think it is awesome to see two brothers working together in this scene and helping each other out along with their friends. The EP was recorded over 3 days in July of this year. The results could not be any better.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/136435417″ /]The first thing that sticks out for me is how personal this record is. Lyrics mean a lot to me. They always have. Yes a lot of melodic hardcore bands are very personal but there is something different about this band. I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. I just know that when I listen to this album it transports me to another place. I can feel the emotion that was put into this album and I dig that. For instance the first track, “Suffer” has a line that goes, “I’m hoping for the best but expecting the worst, every time I go to sleep I think about all the things that scare me the most, will I make you proud or will I let you down, It’s that feeling of fear that makes it hard to open up so I’ll slam the door shut hard and keep you out”. That is something that a lot us have dealt with or still are. Our parents can put a lot of pressure on us. “January 2012” is my favorite track on the album. It deals with death and the effect it has on us. The other thing I like about this track is how the story about it came about. Another track that stands out is “On Your Way Out”. Again another subject matter that we can relate to, that friend that got into drugs and kind of just drifted away from everyone. This song is summed up in the lines, “I still remember the good times every day after school in your backyard and every time I spent the night, or how about that time we walking at 2 AM, just us guys, we’d past the time talking about the future, but now the future just ain’t the same because you ain’t here to enjoy it with me.” It doesn’t get any more real than that. This is some of the best songwriting I’ve heard in this genre recently.
This EP was a good introduction to this young band. It does a good job of grabbing your attention and keeping it throughout the album. There are no dull moments here. I look forward to what is next for these guys. If this is any indication, this band is going to be a staple on the Columbus scene for a while. And hopefully larger.
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