This debut from the Florida five-piece, offers nearly 30 minutes of balls-to-the-wall hardcore.
Despite the band’s self-confessed affiliation with the screamo subgenre, the raw sound of With Time Comes The Comfort seems to have more in common with the old-school Washington hardcore of Black Flag and Minor Threat.
The album delivers 12 sound-alike cuts, with only two tracks breaking the 3-minute mark. The production is simple and gritty and the instrumentation tight, technically proficient, but never flashy.
Each track is lead by merciless beats and abrasive riffing, without indulgent soloing or nu-metal-esque breakdowns. The occasional melodic guitar line can be found, but they are subtly woven into the epic mix (see “Too Far Gone”).
With Time is let down, however, by JP Marra’s one-dimensional vocals.
Instread of the soft-loud dynamic preferred by many screamo bands, Marra eschews melody entirely in favour of the intense hardcore scream.
This unvaried vocal approach results in a uniform sound of aggression and desperation lacking in any emotional development. While the lyrics might offer some nuance, they unfortunately remain unintelligible for the entirety of the record.
The impassioned roar should be one aspect of the hardcore vocalist’s repertoire, not the entire thing. Marra’s lack of creativity means that each track ends up sounding much the same.
With Time is a competent debut from a dynamic young hardcore outfit. But unless Marra augments his vocals they will continue to deliver albums that fall short of their potential.
