Review / Multiple Authors
Sinking Ships
Disconnecting

This is a pleasant surprise. This is a hardcore record, a good hardcore record. The vocals are just the right fit for the music. I heard these guys before on the Generations record that Revelation released semi recently. These guys have a good hardcore sound with dashes of melody that makes Disconnecting so distinct.

"Give Up" leads off Disconnecting with a false start, low mix intro before the vocals announce the true beginning to the album. There are some nice melodic guitar leads that underscore the song really well. "Auburn" has a lot of interesting flares that the guitars add that make the song. The melody is good stuff. It is melodic without being overtly catchy. The bridge of the song is awesome. The lyrics rule here too with lines like, "We're all scarred by this small town disease, a black hole leaving us empty on these abandoned streets." It gets better later on as the bridge of the song is awesome (it is kind of morose sounding with hints of regret), and the lyrics that accompany it are just as great, "This small town looks like a cemetery skyline, creeping taller one shattered dream at a time."

"The Days You've Come to Fear" has some interesting sounds in it. The guitars do more with the different ways of picking that create unique sounds. The drum rhythms compliment all of this very well and help to drive the song to new levels that a straight beat could not. I enjoy "Ghost Story" very much. The music has a good melodic hook while still maintaining that hardcore edge. I like how the vocals still maintain the same tone and timbre as what is on the rest of the album but still push the boundaries that the vocalist has without doing any of the cheesy, overdramatic singing that has become par for the course in some music these days.

Sinking Ships opens "Shadows" with an interesting guitar part before diving into a fast paced song. The lyrics during the bridge are really good, "I don't want to be lost between comfortable desperation and a saving grace... I don't want to be lost. I don't want to be the only one left behind." "Comfort" is another excellent track on the record. The stutter beat near the bridge is awesome. The guitar leads really make the song. The vocals and backing vocals add to the experience of the song well.

Sinking Ships do a good job with Disconnecting, even its stark, simple packaging compliments the music contained well. These guys really have made a hardcore album. Everything about it works well. I still am surprised by the amount of enjoyment that I have with this. It has been a while that I have had such a reaction to a new hardcore band.

The Northwest hardcore scene recently lost an undeniable force with the breakup of fan favorite Champion. Fortunately there is a wake of other amazing bands ready to claim their crown as the kings of hardcore from that region. One of the more promising of those bands is Sinking Ships, a five-piece outfit from the Seattle area. And with Disconnecting, their debut full-length and first for Revelation Records, Sinking Ships have staked their claim for that crown.

With their new album, Sinking Ships pick up exactly where we'd expect them to based on last year's Meridian. The twelve songs that comprise Disconnecting are fueled by high-octane riffs, swift drumming, and spoken-yells with sentimental and heartfelt lyrics. Cuts like "Auburn" and "Ghost Story" show definite influence from fast and melodic hardcore; the music is very much in the vein of early Revelation act In My Eyes and the more recent Stay Gold. But Sinking Ships have built on that style with an increased diversity as they venture into both the edgier style of melodic hardcore as well as the more, for lack of a better word, progressive.

Sinking Ships openly admit that they're not trying to reinvent the wheel of hardcore. Which is good because honestly there isn't much more than can be down within the hardcore genre that hasn't be done before. However, songs like "Shadows" tread the fine line between melodic hardcore and the world beyond, with their epic-like guitar notes and song arrangements. This sound is later revisited on the two closing songs of the album, "Comfort" and "Wait," which are actually my two favorites. On these tracks the band has somewhat abandoned the harder edge of their style of hardcore. The combination of shouted chorus, building guitar sequences, and sinuous drumming truly evoke an uplifting experience in the listener, or at least this one.

The lyrical content of Disconnecting seems tackle the topic of bittersweet feelings of failed friendships and relationships of all natures. Take the lyrics of the track "Deadlocked" for instance:

You had your chance and then you lost it again / Asked for help but you won't lend a hand / this is your bed now learn to lie in it / losing respect and you won't get it back / On the top and you lost it all / how can you expect me to break your fall? / You're out of luck / What can I do?

If you're into the present day wave of melodic hardcore bands or enjoy bands like Betrayed or This is Hell, then Disconnecting should be placed on top of your list of CD's to purchase. It's a relieving feeling to know to know quality hardcore can still be delivered today.