Album Review: Senses Fail - Renancer

All over the place. That would probably be the quickest way to summarise Renacer, the fifth long-player from New Jersey arm-swingers Senses Fail and first away from iconic imprint Vagrant. Yes, the five-piece have delivered arguably the heaviest record of their decade-plus career; however, they've done so without any consistency in the overall flow. It's hard to sink your teeth into this album because it wriggles and moves constantly, and every time you try and pin it down and get familiar it takes a sharp turn and darts away from you once more.

The title track opener and following Hoy Mountain get the album out of the gates quickly and strongly, with Buddy Nielsen's voice moving from abrasive reprimanding to soaring choruses of hope with ease. Meanwhile, the rumbling bass of Jason Black is thick and remains a sludgy constant throughout, giving a beefy bottom end to Mi Amor and The Path. Over twelve tracks Renacer skips through many strains of punk, metal and 'core, which in theory seems impressive, but in doing so, quite often within the course of a single track, the New Jersey quintet dilute the record's overall impact. The sound is kicking you in the face one minute, then it's pogoing gleefully the next. And even when the pieces fit – like on Ancient Tombs – the moment is short lived.

No question, some of the harmonies here give you a bit of feeling, and there's a few crunchy riffs that crash into you just the right way; but as a record Renacer doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, which by the end leaves you just as confused.