I think we can all agree that when it comes to metalcore, few bands will ever be as important as Converge. There are countless imitators—more and more each day, it seems—but most will never be a patch on the greatness achieved by Converge. That said, Buffalo's Every Time I Die are one of the few who take a lead from the legends and are getting pretty close to that seemingly unattainable level of significance.
Formed in the late '90s, Every Time I Die’s unique blend of intense hardcore punk with mathcore intricacies and southern metal moments has built them a huge following among both the punk and metal crowd. They've become a band that their peers try to model themselves after, and for good reason; ETID's use of harsh, explosive music mixed in with raw, unrelenting brutality represents the best of the genre.
On their sixth album, Ex Lives, ETID give their fans what they want—furious, unrelenting metal-influenced hardcore. Tracks like “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space” and “I Suck (Blood)” are among their finest songs to date, mixing harsh and clean vocals versus thundering riffs and short bursts of melody.
But don't think that ETID are just rewriting their prior albums; there are surprises. “Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow” shows a more country side of the band with banjos opening the track, and “Indian Giver” channels their inner stoner rock sensibilities (I believe I heard a flute in there somewhere). “Revival Mode” is a more '90s melodic rock angle to the band and would give Queens Of The Stone Age a run for their money, and “A Wild, Shameless Plain” comes off as a bar rock song on steroids.
Easily their most diverse album to date, Ex Lives has both ETID's most accessible songs and heaviest yet. It's powerful, emotional and often times not for the timid. While most of the throat-shredding, beyond frantic loudness sounds like it could reach through the speaker and tear your head off, these guys have a lot more to offer than the standard metalcore clones when you dig deeper. A career highlight after 15 years, Ex Lives should a part of any punk/metal/hardcore fan’s collection.