Escape the Fate

At this point in their career, and this is probably by complete coincidence, Las Vegas' glitzy and glammy, decadently dirty Escape The Fate are aptly named. When former vocalist Ronnie Radke was incarcerated on drug and battery charges, the remaining members soldiered on. Rather than cry about it, pack up and go home with their tails tucked between their legs to take the fall for their singer's transgressions, the members decided to keep on keeping on, living to fight another day in the fickle, oversaturated screamo and metalcore scene!

New singer Craig Mabbitt, plucked from the ranks of Bless the Fall, holds the band's screamo nerve center in place with his singing and screaming on This War is Ours. There's plenty of feet stomping, hand wringing and teeth gnashing on the album, as well as some shrill and unforgettable tunes, like "On to the Next One" and "The Flood." There's enough to mosh-tastic breakdowns to cause an AAA hotline to go haywire! If you've got a boner for this type of music, Escape the Fate will continue to scintillate you with their screamily heartfelt compositions that invite plenty of singing along.

Indeed, this is the type of dark music "the kids" love to rage to nowadays. The band has a crafted, Hollywood-meets-Vegas, black-clad image, where eyeliner and hairspray are carefully, almost artfully applied. That said, Escape the Fate are this generation's answer to glam metal with This War is Ours, only with less of a cheese factor. Additionally, the emphasis is on the pulsating, rebellious music, with the image serving as the secondary accoutrement. It's refreshing to see a band get back on its feet after being knocked down by life and shitty circumstances.

— Amy Sciarretto
11.04.08