Genre : Post-hardcore
Release date : October 9th, 2020
Label : Epitaph Records
FFO : Being As An Ocean, La Dispute, Jimmy Eat World
Four years after Touché Amoré released what I personally believe to be the most heart-wrenching and transparent record ever written, the band joined forces with the man behind the production of the now iconic releases of many of our roots and influences in modern heavy music, aka Ross Robinson.
Now I'll say this straight away so that it doesn't cloud the rest of my thoughts on this album : No, it doesn't reach the same heights as "Stage Four" in my opinion.
With "Stage Four", Touché Amoré were able to capture something very special given the recent nature of the tragic events around which the album is centered upon.
But that doesn't mean "Lament" is a weak album and cannot stand it's own ground, truly not.
From the very first seconds of the uplifting opening track "Come Heroine", it is made clear that this album's theme will be focusing more on attempting to heal from tragedy rather than directly addressing it.
I personally don't believe that grief is something from which you can heal from.
You just slowly learn to live with it, day by day and I get the sense that this is the purpose this album serves and is about; and if you think about it, it was only natural that this would be the next step to be taken by the band.
Even though it has pretty much always been one of the band's main characteristics thanks to Jeremy Bolm's heartfelt wordsmithing, I feel like honesty is also a central aspect to this record; "Deflector" and "A Forecast" for example, are some of the most brutally intimate and honest songs I've heard this year.
Despite "Lament" trying it's best to be more positive compared to its predecessor both lyrically and musically, it is of course unsurprisingly tainted with sorrow and spleen.
The themes of self-doubt, self-loathing and imposter syndrome seem to be the most recurring throughout, along with the sense of tiredness that comes with the weight of passing years and the wearing-out effects that precarious relationships, whether romantic or family, can have on one's mental health.
Musically, there isn't that much of a departure from their "Stage Four" sound.
The most noticeable changes and additions being the very upbeat and cheerful sounding "Reminders" that comes close to being pop-punk, the inclusion of pedal steel guitar on "A Broadcast", the blast beats on "Savoring" and Andy Hull's guest spot on "Limelight" that creates an interesting dynamic between his clean singing and Jeremy's signature screams and yells.
Speaking of which, I felt like this was Jeremy Bolm's best vocal performance up until now since he can be heard adding variations to his usual pitch and going for higher notes which ends up giving a vocal performance that feels more flexible and varied compared to previous albums.
I wouldn't be surprised if that was a result of Robinson's input during the making of this record.
To close this off, I would say that "Lament" will probably not reach the same untouchable, (perhaps legendary even some might say) status as "Stage Four" did, but that doesn't mean it should be overlooked just because it's biggest flaw is that it comes right after such an impactful piece of work.
"Lament" has it's own stories to tell and is a necessary album in the course of the band's career and I most certainly needed to hear it when I did and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
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