Project 86 - Wait For The Siren

The Warriors Come Out and Play Tour was a huge moment in my musical life. It was the first time I was P.O.D. live and it also introduced me to Project 86 and Blindside. (I imagine I'm not along in this experience)

I picked up the band's self-titled debut that night and dove headfirst. I loved that record. The aggression in Andrew's vocals, the dark brutality of the music... It just clicked and worked for me. And then Drawing Black Lines came out and blew Project's debut out of the water. Stein's Theme is the loudest song ever recorded. There's not a moment of weakness on what I consider one of the greatest records ever.

The band hasn't been perfect since then. While there are songs I absolutely love on Truthless Heroes, And The Rest Will Follow, and Picket Fence Cartel, each record seems to be a slight misstep following what were great albums  (Drawing Black Lines, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By, and Rival Fractions respectively). The band has continued to reinvent themselves and do something new and fresh on each record while still being Project 86.

Wait For The Siren finds Project 86 is a new place. While vocalist Andrew Schwab has been without longtime bandmates Randy Torres and Steven Dail on the road for a while now, this is the first time the two members have not recorded an album with Schwab. It's a complete fresh start for Project 86. New members, new song writers, new ideas. Only good could come from this, right?

Wait For The Siren sounds like Project 86. That's the easiest way to describe it. It almost plays like a companion piece or follow-up to Songs To Burn Your Bridges By. But it's also very different from anything else the band has released. The album features some of the heaviest songs Project 86 has written since Drawing Black Lines but there's also a new level of melodic tracks that Project 86 is just starting to explore.

Project 86 always kick their albums off on a strong note and Fall Goliath Fall is no exception. The track is a post-hardcore soundtrack for Braveheart. It's a battle cry and war chant. SOTS hits hard. The song features Bruce Fizthugh from Living Sacrifice, who's legendary growl adds a nice touch. Omertas Sons has a sing-a-long/chant, anthem that will make for a new Project 86 live staple. Off The Grid doesn't have the same new wave vibe that I loved about Molotov but it's in the same vain stylistically.

The riff that kicks off New Transmission is fantastic. New Transmission is the first hint of something different on Wait For The Sirens. Andrew's singing vocals haven't really been heard since Truthless Heroes but they ring strong on New Transmission. The song is lighter fare for Project but the song has a great melody and a strong hook. The throttling down continues on Defector before The Crossfire Gambit kicks it back up.

Blood Moon is the true ballad of Wait For The Siren. It has a little more guts musically than Star did but it's much lighter in tone, melody, and content. It's the first time I think I would describe a Project 86 song as truly beautiful. Where Fall Goliath Fall was a post-hardcore soundtrack for Braveheart, Ghosts of the Easter Rising is a post-hardcore soundtrack for Brave. I love the Scottish influence on the record. The title track ends the record with a reprise of Ghosts of the Easter Rising.

Project 86 have delivered another strong record and have add to an already stellar discography. Wait For The Siren is definitely album of the year material.