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Album Details

• Artist: Escape The Fate
• Album: Escape The Fate
• Label: Interscope
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: sinist3r-punk on 2011-02-16

Ronnie who? It's been anything but subtle since the drama caused by ex-lead singer Ronnie Radke nearly 3 years ago. Escape the Fate has been trying to shed the negative image and show they have matured as a band. What better way to show your progression than to self title your latest album, as a way of wiping the slate clean of the unfortunate happenings of the past. Ever since Craig Mabbitt came to Escape the Fate, it's been an entirely new band. There's a bigger emphasis on vocals, now that the band has a front man that has some range. It's been two years since Mabbitt's debut in This War Is Ours. Is the latest album an improvement on the formula, or does Escape the Fate crash and burn, cementing Radke's legacy as the better front man?

I bestow upon you, a challenge. Three simple words, no trickery, just a simple answer will do. "Choose Your Fate." Right off the bat, Mabbitt and the rest of Escape the Fate seem to be sending a message. Not content with simply taking the band in different directions, the band wants to silence all their critics with one offer. Their message: "You have a choice, either stick with us and we'll show you a side of Escape the Fate you never thought existed. Or, wallow in the past with your comfort blanket in your cubicle of a safe zone. We are moving on, with or without you." A powerful message considering most fans were unhappy about the change to begin with.

ETF has definitely taken a darker turn with this album. Mabbitt has stated that this was his chance to really make the band his own, and most of his lyrics reflect the darker times of not only his life, but of the experiences everyone goes through. Singers and songwriters always say that their lyrics are a reflection of their own lives, but it never rings true in their voices when they sing. Craig Mabbitt has allowed himself to become vulnerable while singing, most notably in "Lost in Darkness", a mesmerizing and somber song.

Now what would an Escape the Fate album be without some signature screaming and heavy guitar? Just a whole lot of typical screamo music, that's what. Mabbitt doesn't reach the growling lows of his past effort with ETF, but he produces such a fragile quality with his voice during those epic high notes that I often found myself sitting slack jawed unknowing that such a sound was possible. "Day of Wreckoning" is the signature track for me. It carried the same sound as This War Is Ours, while keeping things fresh with some drum line style percussion and fantastic backing vocals from Bryan "Monte" Money.

Everyone wanted to write off Escape the Fate after the dismissal of Ronnie Radke, seemingly only interested in the band because of a rowdy lead singer with some maturity issues. A great band knows how to take that tragedy and harness it into something worth remembering. In my eyes, ETF has already proven that they are worth the praise, and undeserving of the petty criticisms of those stuck in the past. Here's to a band that doesn't know the meaning of the word surrender. Cheers.

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