Album Review: Woe, Is Me - 'Genesi[s]'

Woe, is Me are back with their second full length ‘Genesi[s],’ presenting themselves as a completely different band, literally, as this release is the first full length to feature four new members. While fans may be a little unsure of what to expect, they need not worry, things haven’t changed that much, and the parts that have are for the better.

The initial statement made by the introduction and openings tracks 'D-Day' and 'F.Y.I' is that the band are trying pretty hard to approach the post-hardcore genre in a new light, while also featuring some pretty well travelled ground at the same time. So for example, the brutal screams over an electronic beat ,which lead into some fairly standard chugging and double kick. It’s like this for the entire record, one moment that will make you raise your eyebrows in surprise, the next that will make you lower them due to predictable boredom.

If you sit back however and take a more relaxed view of the music, tracks like the second single 'A Story To Tell' or album highlight 'Nothing Left to Lose' are enjoyable post-hardcore numbers with great melodies, breakdowns and chorus lines. The heavy moments of the album are amongst some of the heaviest the band have ever produced, with the clean vocal sections claiming the “most polished” award for their small catalogue.

Caleb Shomo of Attack Attack and Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire provide some extra vocals on 'With Our Friend(s) Behind Us' and 'The Walking Dead' respectively, the latter made extra creepy by thematic backing strings. After all of this though, the biggest change in band dynamic is the clean vocals of Hance Alligood, which are a much more standard tone, lacking the unique aspects of previous clean vocalist, Tyler Carter’s, voice.

The record ends with the band channelling Korn in the guitar lines of 'I’ve Told You Once' and the percussive acoustic ballad 'Family First'. There is also a fairly unexciting acoustic version of 'Nothing Left To Lose' tacked on for good measure.

When compared to the original line-up and the band’s debut ‘Number[s],’ things are not better or worse for Woe, Is Me, just different. When judged by itself ‘Genesi[s]’ has enough surprises to make the post-hardcore genre exciting again for a few more months.

1. D-Day
2. F.Y.I
3. A Story To Tell
4. With Our Friend[s] Behind Us
5. Nothing Left To Lose
6. The Walking Dead
7. I Came, I Saw, I Conquered
8. Call It Like You See It
9. I've Told You Once
10. Family First
11. Nothing Left to Lose (Acoustic)