Beartooth - Sick

The words "featuring enter name here from Attack Attack" don't inspire a lot of confidence in me. So my excitement about Beartooth, new project from former Attack Attack vocalist Caleb Shomo, wasn't very high. 

But right out of the gate, Shomo's new project has no relation to his old band. Beartooth is a raw metalcore. No corny keyboard, disco/electronic breakdowns. (Hopefully no choreographed crabcore dance moves either). It's not just raw musically. Shomo is open and honest lyrically about his struggles to mask his pain and his need for God. 

I Have A Problem says it all in the title. It's Shomo's declaration and confession about his struggle with alcohol. The music is the backdrop for Shomo's words before yelling "But I wanna be alive." Then the circle pit beat kicks in and Beartooth goes crazy. The chorus is Shomo's statement of needing something more"

"My hands are in the air, and God I hope you're there, cause I can't make it myself, i'll never make it myself "

Go Be the Voice is a great song about standing up for and defending your beliefs. The intro reminds me of the Chariot but the song never materializes into that type of full blown chaos. Pick Your Poison is a hardcore/punk song through and through. While there's the underlying metalcore/Underoath influence in the song, there's a lot of great hardcore elements. 

Beartooth is a rebirth for Shomo, in more ways than one. And it's a good rebirth. Sick is a fantastic ep that will reintroduce fans to Shomo's music, but it will also, hopefully, introduce kids to quality metalcore. There's no traces of Attack Attack in Beartooth. Thank goodness!