Dead By April have always been a unique and engaging band with their individual blend of boyband-esque vocals mixed up with harsh vocals which are accompanied by melodic electronic lines and crushingly aggressive guitar riffs, and they’ve always been a very consistent band that make massively memorable songs destined to be stuck in your head for days.
Let The World Know is the band’s first album with new vocalist Stoffe following Jimmie’s departure, but does it hit the heights of their previous releases? Well, not quite.
One of the most important things to note about this album is that Stoffe’s vocals on it are absolutely incredible. His interpretations of the band’s back catalogue in a live environment are superb and his vocals have a fantastic rough tone to them that resonates with the music – to say he’s the perfect addition to the band’s sound is an understatement, and he really comes into his own on songs such as Abnormal and Same Star.
The main problem with this album is that it just sounds exactly the same as their previous releases, with some songs really strongly reminiscent of their older material. Peace Of Mind has numerous similar elements as Incomparable and Let The World Know is like a weaker version of Calling, for example. Sure, the album has some massive choruses that you’ll be singing along to for days, but it really does feel like the band could have tried harder to write some more original tracks rather than following the exact same format as their two previous full-lengths.
It goes without saying that you’ll like this if you enjoyed their two previous releases because there are no surprises here. Perhaps I’m being a little harsh with this score, but Let The World Know just feels decidedly average and I know the band can do better.
5/10
