Attack Attack - Attack Attack! (Review)

Attack Attack! - Attack Attack!
June 8, 2010
Rise
3/10

If someone where to ask me "What genre is Attack Attack!?" it would be easier to answer "What genre isn't Attack Attack!?". Since the release of their 2008 debut Someday Came Suddenly Attack Attack! has gone from being a band with strictly Christian lyrics to singing about partying and lost love. Their sound ranges from heavy to poppy all in the first minute of a song. It is not at all an understatement when I say Attack Attack! is a schizophrenic band. Yet all of these qualities have gained these 5 (previously 6) kids from Ohio quite a lot of fans, so of course it was impossible to ignore the fact that Attack Attack! released their self-titled sophomore album this past June, and while Someday Came Suddenly was a fun and dancey album (which got old quick) drummer Andrew Wetzel advertised their new release as a more "mature" Attack Attack!. Nice joke Wetzel, you sure got us.

Unfocused. Pretty much the one word that describes Attack Attack!'s self-titled best. Somehow the band managed to get rid of everything that made their debut so enjoyable in the first place. First off, keyboardist turned frontman Caleb Shomo is not nearly as good a screamer as previous vocalist Austin Carlile, but it truly is unfair to compare the two given that they both have their own style, and in all honesty Shomo fits the new songs better. To add to the absence of Carlile, now that Shomo had stepped up as frontman the synth operator position has been left empty permanently, and it shows, with the exception of a few dance beats and two dupstep parts (one of them oddly placed) there is a complete absence of the electronics that made Someday Came Suddenly shine.

However songs like "Renob, Nevada" and "A for Andrew" showcase the kind of band of sound the band strive to achieve, while "Shut Your Mouth" and "Lonely" demonstrate the outfit's ability inability to stick with their new game plan. The only plus for the album would be the band's return to producer Joey Sturgis, who can make breakdowns and electronics mix better than anyone else.

Overall Attack Attack! set off to make a "heavier" album, but with the fear of being deserted by their old fans, ended up straying from their path and got lost in a sea of breakdowns (AC - 130), cheesy chants (Renob, Nevada), auto-tune (Turbo Swag), ballads (Lonely), dubsteps (Smokahontas), McSwagger (Shut Your Mouth), and ironic intros (Fumbles O'Brian). Somehow Attack Attack! came out with one of the year's worst releases and still managed to sell over 15,000 copies in their first week alone, and increased their fanbase tenfold, which just goes to show how upside down this music scene is at the moment.

There it goes
I'm sure quite a lot of people would like to disagree with me, so comment away
Also as I said before I'm working on a review for Scarlett O'Hara but I'm having some problems with it
and yes I do realize this album came out a few months ago, but I still felt like making a review for it.

I hate the new AA!, it sounds like some Britney Spears crap.
Someday Came Suddenly was a better album than this one, even with T-Pain in it.