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Beloved-Failure On
(Solid State, 2003)
Initially I was a bit surprised by how all over the place this band was, but with a few listens under my belt it's all starting to come together. It sounds odd but to me this band sounds like a combination of Hot Water Music and metalcore. The melodic tendencies and clean vocals totally remind me of Hot Water Music. Of course Hot Water Music never had heavy breakdowns and burly screaming. So there you have an idea of the Beloved sound.
I have to give the band a lot of credit. They're mixing two very different musical styles and are making it work. The heavy sections, while they definitely seem to come out of nowhere, are worked into the songs quite seamlessly. As much as it does take you by surprise, it doesn't disrupt the flow of the songs at all. It adds a lot to the band and I could see people being into this band for either reason, the melody or the heavier side.
It would be a stretch to say that these guys were re-writing the rules of hardcore, but the two styles the combine really haven't been combined before. Sure, rock has been combined with heavier moments, but to my knowledge no one has bridged the gap between a No Idea-esque sound and metalcore. So what you could say is that the band as a whole is original, but the elements they use to make that sound aren't really new. Confusing? Well, just give the band a listen and you'll understand what I'm getting at.
This definitely isn't an instantly gratifying album. You'll have to give it a few spins before it totally sinks in and that is definitely how you want an album to be. Albums that are instantly memorable are usually just as easily forgotten. You need that unique edge to make it a bit harder to just jump right into. Trust me though, once you get into Beloved, the disc will definitely be spinning quite a bit.
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