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ALBUM REVIEW: "Different Animals" by Volumes

   I've never been on the Volumes bandwagon necessarily, but I really liked their previous album No Sleep and what they were doing in general. Since then they have picked up a new singer (they still have the two frontmen) and switched labels, so I was very unsure of what to expect from their third full length, Different Animals. From the first track Waves Control it's clear they're still dealing in Meshuggah-esque riffs and heaviness, and that track in particular hits incredibly hard, opening the album really strongly. From here they continue with typically catchy and heavy riffs with the occasional R&B influenced chorus, similar to what they have done before, but refined and sharper. New singer Myke Terry's screams are a little patchy in places, but it's his clean singing that is his real strength, really shining in particular on lead single Feels Good. Up until this stage the album is solid, if not entirely game changing for the band or the genre.
   At the half-way mark the band throw a wild left hook and the sound shifts dramatically, and this is what is going to divide listeners into fans and otherwise. The first half sounds like Volumes as you know it already; heavy and catchy with R&B influences. The second half still has those ingredients, but the R&B has been cranked up further than it has been on any other Volumes release. The interlude hints at this, before Hope opens with rapping and progresses into a silky smooth chorus (undercut by some chuggy-chugs). This foray into new territory continues throughout the rest of the album, and while to be honest it was quite distracting the first time, it meant that I really wanted to go back and listen to it again, and I found them so much more enjoyable the second time around. Some people will be turned off by this change, but I bought it 100% and really really liked this album. I also like the way it's kind of split into two halves, similar to the way Ocean Grove's Black Label EP showed their progression to a new sound. Go into it with an open mind and see what you think.

   Favourite Tracks: Waves Control, Feels Good, Pieces, On Her Mind and Pullin' Shades

    Least Favourite Tracks: Finite and Heavy Silence

   Rating: A-

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