Sometimes I wonder if there is any passion left in hardcore - and not passion to be popular, but a passion that inspires a band to play out just to have people connect and sing-along, releasing all their worries. When I first got into the hardcore scene, it wasn't so much what the bands were saying, but the fact that they were so heartfelt and expressive about the messages that they were delivering. Today's hardcore scene seems to be missing that for the most part. However, there are artists out there still digging deep within their hearts and minds pulling out meaningful topics to deliver to anyone willing to listen. The Carrier is one of those bands.
In the time since I received this album to review, The Carrier has already made the leap to a larger and more noticeable label in Deathwish. Over the course of my repeated listens to One Year Later, I've continually thought to myself how the band were destined for bigger things.
One Year Later is the bands debut full-length, which follows a three song 7" which was released in early 2007 - of which all the songs reappear here. Following the intro of "Unloved" the album commences with "Wasted." The music could be characterized as metallic and hardcore, but there is more to the sound that just that. The guitarwork reaches beyond your typical chugging metal-influenced riffs. There is a sense of melody that is incorporated and it is these delicates that really help to evoke the emotion that is conveyed in the lyrics.
"Empty Words" and "Alcatraz" delve further down this path; both lean in a more aggressive and faster-paced direction, due to the notable drumming of Mike DiSabatino. I am reminded of Strongarm and the most recent work of Blacklisted in these songs. The Carrier continue to deliver an impassioned concoction of hardcore and punk as they make their way though the album. "Memoirs" hints at a more brooding a progressive style. "Heaven" is another of the more aggressive while co-closers "One Year Later
" and "
Everything Has Changed" provide a fantastic and dramatic close to the album.
And while there is a definite passion in the music, it is in the lyrics of vocalist Anthony Traniello that the deepest emotions of the human psyche are revealed. For example, "Nineteen Years Young" expresses feelings that so many young individuals, and those of any age for that matter, go through. He speaks out on his doubts of a higher power, letting the listener in to feel his abandonment in his times of need. An even more personal reveal comes in "Panicstricken." Traniello allows all to share in perhaps his most personal moment. Reading along, you can't help but feel a connection at some level. We've all had someone dear to us go through it or even been there ourselves. Each song, no matter the subject matter is filled with these deep, personal writings, bringing back those memories of the impassioned hardcore of years ago.
I also wanted to make note of the artwork by Ken Stewart. His use of oils and color palate are reminiscent of Van Gogh, minus all the swirl strokes and the craziness. Maybe that's a stretch, but regardless it's a welcome change to the now-typical Photoshop-heavy layouts of hardcore and punk.
The Carrier really nailed it with One Year Later. Had I not slept on this album, it would have easily rated very high on my best of list for 2007. My bad! If you've yet to investigate The Carrier, do yourself a favor and grab up a copy of this album. It is an essential purchase for any fan of hardcore.
