Gideon - Milestone

Gideon's debut record, Costs, had a lot of hype. It was over-hyped in my opinion. When Jason Dunn decided Gideon was good enough to have their record released on Facedown instead of Strike First, people took notice and the hype machine went to work. Costs was a good record, but not an album of the year candidate or best heavy record the year it was released. Gideon had a huge upside and Costs was a solid debut.

Milestone didn't seem to have any of the same kind of hype. It almost came out to a whisper. Which is a shame because I think Milestone is leaps and bounds better than Costs. It's a more focused record. The sound might not be anything new but it's more cohesive.

Milestone is a melodic hardcore record through and through. Costs dabbled with the melodic but had a ton of metalcore and straight hardcore elements that made Costs a little scatter-brained. Gone are the random clean vocals from every song. They have an appearance here and there but it's more tasteful.

Hitting play, Gutter hits you right away, and it's obvious that Gideon has stepped up their came. The riffs are stronger and the overall songwriting is better. Bad Blood has a classic hardcore feel lyrically and a modern twist musically. The transition into No Acceptance is a little weird but is quickly forgotten.

The title track, Milestone, is the only real misstep in my opinion. I know I've beaten the instrumental track to death on this site but I just don't get it. Yes, you have musical chops and can rock an instrumental track the features nice electric lead over an acoustic guitar. It seems like everyone has one now a days and it (almost) never fits or comes of as a successful or necessary. It's like everyone heard P.O.D.'s Eternal and said, "hey we can do that too." More than any other trend in heavy music, this is the one I want to die most.

Having said that, Milestone is a great record and a huge step forward from Costs. Gideon has delivered a solid melodic hardcore record (minus that stupid instrumental track).