Kill Your Own, but buy this album first Apr 12 2006
Hundred Reasons - Kill Your Own
This album is a masterpiece. Right from the get-go, it grabs you by the scrotum in a way most bands can’t do, and it doesn’t let go until “Breathe Again” has finished, itself putting the finishing touches on an epic album. Previous Hundred Reasons albums were great, and I’ve been a fan since the first. The second album was good, if a little weaker, but I felt that after the debut effort they might always struggle to eclipse that. Since then, an extended break, and lead singer Colin’s efforts with his side project The Lucky Nine proved incredibly entertaining - I had the pleasure of seeing The Lucky Nine last year at Give It A Name, and they didn’t disappoint. If anything, I saw a heavier, slightly darker side to Colin’s vocals, that I wish could be brought to the table with Hundred Reasons. Well here’s my wishes come true - Colin has definitely benefited from being able to rock out that extra inch or two over the last couple of years, and this album is like a mixture between the delicate melodies of classic Hundred Reasons tracks, and the immediacy and downright rock that made up most of The Lucky Nine’s debut album.
Enough waffle - “Broken Hands” drags you in and sets the tone, with the first single, “Kill Your Own” following, and providing a slightly more melodic, yet still heavy track with which to advertise the new album on. The third track, “Destroy”, seems to tip it’s hat slightly to songs more reminiscent of “Ideas Above Our Station”, but that’s not a bad thing. The album does dip into a lull in a couple of occasions, but I’d say in no way were “Chance”, “Perfect Gift”, “This Mess”, and “Better Way” weak, they simply act almost as rest between the far better crafted songs - “Live Fast Die Ugly” is raw and sounds like a producer was nowhere near - and sounds awesome because of it. The superb “Feed The Fire” I just can’t get enough of, and “No Pretending” really is another perfect example of how to combine heavy, with harmonies and melody to provide a song that even your parents could listen to. By the time the last track comes around, you’ll need a break, but “Breathe Again” continues for six minutes, building up and down, until finally this crushing, awesome album comes to an end.
Overall? Superb. Hundred Reasons best work yet. Buy it now, and kill your own.
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