Many recent listeners may not remember (nor heard in the first place) the first couple of releases by Florida's Hope and Suicide (1999's Razorblade Smile and 2003's split with Emmanuel 7) let alone know that members of this band were integral members of the almighty Bloodlet (vocalist Scott Angelacos was also the vocalist of Bloodlet while bassist Tom Crowther was also a member of the last incarnation of the group). So, we can dispense with possible comparisons between the two groups and get the references out of the way early on in order to focus on the first full-length from Hope and Suicide, which is proving to be a long running outfit in its own right. This surprisingly first album (surprising because the band has been together in one shape or another for almost ten years now) is the band's first for Steve Austin's (who also produced the effort for the group) label, SuperNova.
Hope and Suicide further delves into the interesting melding of a variety of heavy styles of music into a fairly unique concoction which provides a visceral vehicle for Angelacos's wholly unique vocal style and lyrical concoctions; from off kilter time signatures to subtle melodic heavy passages, Hope and Suicide forms a cohesive batch of songs that give a unique take on heavy music. Drum patterns (that do hearken back to Bloodlet a bit) imbue songs like "Switzerland," "Unholy Bastards," and "Whiskey Tango" with out there rhythmic contortions. The fuzzed out bass sound dominates (in a good way) many tracks on the records (see "Zombie Knife Fight," "Dead Mans Lips," and "Whiskey Tango" for examples). Guitars rip through the heavy din in a variety of ways with powerful sounds in "Unholy Bastards" while acting in a different manner in creating different sounds or noise at times in "Zombie Knife Fight." The best songs on Hope and Suicide really shop off what the band is capable of. "Whiskey Tango" has a groove and a variety of sounds that make it one hell of a ride while "The Butcher's Son" shows off an excellent use of dynamics with crushing heavy parts and quiet parts that are around just long enough for maximum effect.
Hope and Suicide is a digital-only release which normally I would not have a problem with a band doing, but seeing as how I am usually a big fan of Angelacos' lyrics, it is really disappointing to not have the ability to grab an insert and read the lyrics while listening to the record. To be honest as much as I enjoy the band's previous material, Hope and Suicide truly disappoint me personally with their first full-length. Where the band were much more fresh sounding on their EP's and demo material, this album sees them more trying to fit into the sludge or "southern rock" influenced metal that many people try to fit them into for classification purposes than trying to be their own monster. This is not a bad record by any stretch of the imagination, just possibly a bit disappointing for longtime listeners; still this will beat the normal metal or metalcore or "southern rock" influenced metal fare to death with its beefy sound and deft rhythms.
