Silverstein - A Shipwreck In The Sand Part 1

by Matt
(Canada)

A Shipwreck In The Sand by Silverstein

Release Date: March 31, 2009

Label: Victory Records

Genre: Rock, Hardcore, Emo, Screamo

Previous Works:


Arrivals and Departures (2007)
Discovering the Waterfront (2005)
When Broken is Easily Fixed (2003)

A Shipwreck In The Sand Overall Rating: 6/10

A Shipwreck in the sand is the latest release from Canada's own Silverstein. After their 2007 release, "Arrivals and Departures" many fans worried that the band was headed for a more mellow, mainstream feel. Silverstein has effectively quieted those fears by releasing Shipwreck, arguably their most hardcore album yet. "A Shipwreck In The Sand" seems to be a collaboration of all their previous works, and improves upon "Arrivals and Departures" but once again does not seem to meet the standard set by one of my favorite albums of all-time, their 2005 release, "Discovering the Waterfront". Look for Silverstein's "A Shipwreck In The Sand" to hit stores on March 31, 2009.

Single Track Review Rating:

1. A Great Fire 4/5
The album definitely gets off to a great start with "A Great Fire". One of the best songs on the album, this song sets the pace by combining shredding guitar licks with powerful drum beats. The clincher in this track is the slow and epic chorus that Silverstein is so famous for. Lyrically excellent, "A Great Fire" grips the listener by slowing the tempo during Shane Told's melodic bridge and choral sequences. This song embodies everything great about Silverstein by belting out powerful, hardcore verses and resolving them with an entrancing bridge and chorus .

2. Vices (ft. Liam Cormier) 4.5/5
The best song on this album in my opinion. "Vices" starts off heavy and stays that way. The verses are intense and will motivate you to fight, workout, or at least do your share of moshing at their show. This song picks up right where "A Great Fire" left off and launches the album forward. The lyrics are excellent once again and the chorus is guaranteed to have you singing along. With another soul-capturing chorus, the band resolves their verses perfectly in Silversteinian fashion. The bridge could be improved upon, and the line "this crowded bar is full of sin" sticks out like a sore thumb in this otherwise lyrically excellent piece. "Vices" is a top 10, or even top 5 all-time Silverstein best.

3. Broken Stars 3.5/5
The first demo from the album, "Broken Stars" was posted on the band's website a few months before the album's release and effectively excited Silverstein's fans for what was to come. Obviously an improvement on the demo's quality, the album version of this song improves in other aspects as well including a beautiful guitar harmony beginning around the 2:58 mark of the track. "Broken Stars" doesn't necessarily improve upon the first two tracks of the album, but certainly has some catchiness to it and manages to keep pace. Around the 2:30 mark of the track the first break-down sequence in the album (there are a few more in later tracks) is presented and is certain to satisfy the more hardcore Silverstein fan.

4. American Dream 2/5
Unfortunately, the fourth song on Shipwreck, "American Dream" takes a massive drop-off from the first three tracks. A Canadian band writing a song called "American Dream" seems to be only the first mistake. The lyrics are mediocre at best and lack any sort of emotional connection. The sing-songy chorus is a valiant effort at any sort of catchiness, but doesn't do much to save this song. It may be that the first three songs on the album were just too amazing, but in any case, "American Dream" does not meet the standard, and is likely to be skipped over by even the most mellow of Silverstein fans.

5. Their Lips Sink Ships 3/5
Cool little interlude. Like most interlude's, it's unnecessary, but well done none the less and includes some neat little effects including an interesting distortion over Shane's vocals.

Continue To Part 2!