Dryline "Reach For the Surface" (Zero Sum)
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Wednesday. Mar 29, 1:01 AM
They have spoken indeed. Are you listening?

For 35 powerful minutes and 12 extremely tight tracks, Texas quintet Dryline’s debut full-length, Reach For the Surface, subjects its listeners to an addictive blend of melodic riffs, metalcore guitars, tuneful singing, and hardcore screams that occasionally verge on death metal growls.

The climax of the album comes early. Second track “Cast For Your Heart” transposes the basic yet catchy chorus, “You see me falling, you see me falling, I never fell so far” over abrasive screaming while integrating punk riffs into a metalcore sound. The experimentation works well and results in a very memorable song.

Alas, every record has its faults, and apart from the excessive screaming throughout the album – the vast majority of the vocals on the record are screamed, and as crucial as it is to the album, sometimes it just doesn’t work – there is also the matter of lyrics. Dryline’s words are unfocused and vaguely poetic, but while at some points they feel pointless, at others still they seem ridiculously excessive. Often the words come across as just plain corny, most notably in the midst of “Choke on the Air,” where vocalist Aaron Kirby dramatically growls, “I… have… spoken!” This sounds awfully self-gratifying and moderately Hatebreed-esque (not that there’s anything wrong with Hatebreed, but not every metal song needs to steal from “I Will Be Heard”).

In spite of, rather than because of, their lead singer, Dryline are a supremely talented band that look to be on the rise. With this very solid debut record, they have sent a powerful statement to the world. They have indeed spoken, and now it is up to the rest of the world to listen.
www.dryline.com
www.zerosumrec.com

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Simon Neuwelt-Broder

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