Review: Closer than Kin - The Machineries of Breath

artist: closer than kin album: the machineries of breath label: punktuation records released: by: rob tatum Closer than Kin combines metal and hardcore similar to Unearth, but they incorporate singing into the songs. That would be great under most circumstances, unless of course you can’t sing… the lead singer can scream, very well I might add, similar to many of the Solid State Record’s band’s singers, however, the backing vocals are atrocious. Musically, the band is loaded with talent, and it is put to use in almost every song, but many of the songs seem to drag on longer than necessary and the sound gets a little dull after the first few songs. The fifth track, “The Uncertainty of Sanity” is acoustic and it is a nice little intermission, but it’s nothing special. Fans of east coast styled metal-core will probably enjoy this band. They are from Boston and carry a good amount of energy into their music, but it just doesn’t do it for me quite like some of the other bands hailing from the same scene. Lyrically the album is well written. Most of the songs are deep, dark songs about love, but there are some songs regarding the negatives of religion and one song, “When Toys are Traded for Tears” is a more general song about the struggles of life. I can honestly say that I have no complaints about the lyrics on this album. Although some of the lyrics are cliché, it’s not an abuse situation like many recent hardcore albums. Unfortunately for Closer than Kin, they are in a genre that necessitates that a band stand out to make any impact on listeners and they haven’t quite hit that point just yet. If they do something about the backing vocals and maybe make it so the songs don’t drag as much, they could be huge… key words: could be. favorite song: “when toys are traded for tears” rating: 73%/100% listen to closer than kin