Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 5.0
Production: 4.0
Originality: 2.0
Tracklisting
2. Warm Me Up
3. Heaven For The Weather
4. Edinboro
5. Hell To Sell
6. Ether
7. Can You? Will You?
8. Shady Business
9. Make It Rain
10. Have Gun, Will Travel
When someone hears the word “Champion,” a few things come to mind. An athlete or a public figure perhaps. Or maybe even someone who simply overcomes an obstacle to reach a goal. Any way you cut it, a champion is a good thing. That is, unless you are listening to the Audition’s latest effort of the same name released on the semi-major Victory Records. Champion does very little to distance itself from the rest of the music field and instead opts to simply add yet another yelping voice to an already drowning scene.
Though it sounds like the complaint with every other album in the scene right now, that doesn’t make the argument any less apt. Every song sounds exactly the same. There is very little rise and fall songwriting-wise and it seems as though the music doesn’t expand much past dropped D tuning and boring riffs. It is almost as if there are no surprises and that obviously makes for a very boring listen.
The album kicks off rather optimistically with “Basbhat,” with a decent hook and jangly guitars. The second track “Warm Me Up” might even keep the listener’s ears following the same formula. But by the time track three rolls around the routine becomes stale and the album is lost in a sea of monotony.
The sad thing is it seems as though these guys are pretty talented but they fail to really stretch much of when it comes to their musical abilities. Each song shows a little glimmer of hope and promise. But as fast as they tip their hand, they pull the cards back to their chest. It is frustrating because this band has some real potential and they fail to come close to capturing it on the album. Though the talents of lead vocalist Danny Stevens is a very welcome surprise. With pipes similar to Adam D’Zurilla of Salem, he shows a real range and is the most obvious talent in the band.
Some might think my assessment at the beginning of this review is a little harsh. While this album certainly shows some talent, it falls far short of it’s potential. And that falls squarely on the band’s shoulders and they are the reason the album comes out flat. There is no one else to blame. In addition, it is not too much to ask for a fan of a genre to expect more from the genre’s bands. Lacking creativity and the inability to write more compelling songs is something that has come to characterize many bands in this scene and the Audition is no exception.