Story of the Year

STORY OF THE YEAR
The Black Swan
Crowd Pleasers Scream Along
***
On songs like “Wake Up” and “The Antidote” Story of the Year seem determined to recapture some of that fist in the air populist sing-along magic they‘ve scored in the past. Although older fans who may have lost track of the band since their breakout hit “Until The Day I Die,” may be surprised at the consistently hard-edged power throughout. Opener “Choose Your Fate” sets the pace with a gut-shot guttural vocal and glacier-sized walls of guitar. While the band still displays a canny pop ear at times (“Message To The World”), and a deft touch with melodic, expansive choruses that open up from tightly wound guitar lines, the emphasis on The Black Swan rests decidedly on the heft and weight of the hulking metal riffs. (Epitaph; www.epitaph.com)

Alternative Press