Metalcore has been an interesting genre over the years. Initially bands like Integrity, Earth Crisis, and Unbroken were labeled as metalcore for their metal influences in the hardcore sound. Since then, bands like Cave In, Botch, and Poison the Well have been labeled as such, all while developing their own styles within those bounds. Additionally the term has been bastardized as of late by bands like The Devil Wears Prada and their ilk.
Hope Lane is a Dead End is a metalcore outfit based out of Massachusetts. They claim influence from the likes of Cave In, Botch, and Shai Hulud. And while I hear very faint inklings of those bands in their sound, they are far from any of those artists. The band makes good use of chug-chug riffs and frequently uses breakdowns throughout the songs. The vocals are the overused cookie-monster growls with the occasional "clean" melodies. Illuminate falls someplace between the worlds of Killswitch Engage and Poison the Well's early releases. There isn't much new metalcore that I enjoy, the last new band I enjoyed was Romans. Hope Lane is a Dead End isn't bad, it's just not my thing.
