Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 9.5
Production: 7.0
Originality: 9.0
Tracklisting
2. Day One And Counting
3. Pomona For Empusa
4. Conversations With Emily
5. Which Wrist First
6. Numerous Murders
7. Dear Sweet Impaler
8. Your Latest Victim
9. This Would Be Easier If You Would Just Die
10. Codex Avellum
It's hard to review a CD that is the follow up to what I consider one of the best records of all time in this genre. "No Signal" was the perfect answer to my prayers; melodic, poppy, and technical, and catchy as all hell..but in a good way. Sophisticated lyrics to match the songwriting; it was the perfect formula. So going into this review, it was difficult to critically analyze the new disc without comparing it to "No Signal." Nonetheless, it is what I would consider the perfect follow-up that continues a great thing: good, solid, technicality mixed with melodies and consistently amazing lyric work. Growth was a huge factor as well. Ladd doesn't restrain how he feels at all, and even though he didn't on "No Signal," the lyrics often are darker than any other lyrics I have ever heard.
The thing that makes Ladd such an incredible lyricist is his ability to blend a poetic motion with his message. Such as on "Numerous Murders," when he screams "I'll cut my throat to make this right, and bleed all the words I've left inside" or on "Pomona For Empusa" when he uses a sinking ship metaphor to depict his hopelessness. The CD is devoutly personal, and might even be too much for people to take or understand, I realized when I saw the band's message regarding the Suicide Hotline ("This album is purely an artistic interpretation of personal experiences.."). The CD still has the "love factor" involved, and isn't completely hopeless, but Ladd seems emotional as ever. "It Won't Snow Where You're Going" is literally a depressed, dark CD that showcases an increasing lack of tolerance for pain and isolation.
The lyrics are what make only half the disc, but Park seems to be able to still come up with ingenius cesspools of riffs and rhythms, as expected. But, as with the lyrics, the chords and progressions seem darker, more opaque, and certainly not what I was expecting. Songs like "Day One And Counting" and "Gasoline Kisses For Everyone" still seem to include the somewhat poppier, more straightforward sounds that Park expressed on "No Signal," but overall the rock is obviously less..happy.
That's not to say that "It Won't Snow Where You're Going" is not an amazing record. Once again Park was able to pull off the technical, non-catchy-but-poppy thing, and with success I might add. The choruses are still there, and Ladd's vocals have done anything but deteriorated. The production might be down a little from "No Signal," but it's nothing that stops this from being another one of my favorite records, ever. One more thing: the bonus video footage, including a video for "Codex Avellum" (which is basically a live shoot) is pretty dope. It's cool to see the band in the studio and what-not; the live shot of the "A.J.S." ("Untitled" acoustic track on "No Signal") rules as well. So don't download it, just buy it.