Paper Ships Under a Burning Bridge is the debut offering from Last of the Believers, a new project spearheaded by former members of the extremely underrated Reach the Sky, as well as Ignite and Spark of Life. The music that Last of the Believers offers on this, a five-song EP, combines the members past experience into one impressive debut.
Paper Ships Under a Burning Bridge opens with "Dissent," a fast-paced melodic hardcore tune that is both fiercely fast and ultra catchy. Guitarist Chris Chasse - of Reach the Sky and Rise Against fame - teams with Nik Piscitello for some sweet riffs, while drummer Phil Lee and bassist Brett Rasmussen, also of Ignite, provide a solid rhythm section. Vocally, Steve Jennings offers up a good amount of screaming, while Chasse and the rest of the band provides some backups.
"Throwing Matches" veers into a slightly more melodic direction with Chasse taking the lead vocals for the vast majority of the track. Chasse's vocals are less coarse than Jennings, opting for melody. The song contains an excellent bridge midway through in which Chasse sings softly before being juxtaposed to aggressive yells.
"Workhorse" returns to the hardcore direction - think Crime in Stereo or Strike Anywhere. They even get guest vocals from Throwdown vocalist Dave Peters - unfortunately I feel his vocal style is just a tad too aggressive for this style of music. "You Get What You Get" returns to the softer, mixing Dag Nasty-esque melody with a more rock direction. Then about two-thirds of the way through, the pace quickens with some double bass and fast, crisp riffs. Peters again appears with backing vocals - again, a little out of place with the music.
The EP closes with the fiery "Fists Up," a two-minute slab of a blistering hardcore. The track got my adrenaline pumping and is sure to get kids at shows circling pitting; the closing breakdown definitely reminded me of the fast, melodic hardcore catalog of Rivalry Records.
Last of the Believers is one of the best new bands I've heard this year. There are a couple of spots on the EP that I didn't enjoy, but for a new band still working out the kinks of working together, I was greatly impressed. I definitely look forward to hearing more material from Last of the Believers - I just hope their other projects don't hinder their musical output and touring.
