Upping the ante, Chasing Safety move from their symphonic, gothic metalcore to a more accessible hardcore sound that will have you banging your head in no time. Is the shift for the better, and what does this mean the band's future? Hopefully good things.
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The crunchy yet intense breakdowns, the dual vocals, electronics/synths and the band's powerhouse choruses are hallmarks of their sound. But for their second outing, Chasing Safety decide to do something a little different. The band make the bold decision to shift from electronic, theatric metalcore to something more attuned to the style of metalcore alumni like Memphis May Fire and A Skylit Drive. Songs are strongly influenced by hard rock and classic metal, and there is little to no orchestration present. The shift may surprise fans, but the end result is just as pleasing to the ear as anything the band have put forth before.
Opening track, and the first single released, "Brand New Prison" starts the album off with a powerful hard rock, metal driven riff and raspy unclean vocals from Johnny Galivan. The anthemic and melodic chorus is superb. This is also one of the first tracks we can hear Kenny Davis' voice without those underlying effects. Ditching the autotune and such was a move for the better. His voice is comparable to that of Matthew Nicholas of Get Scared or London Snetsinger. His melodic voice mixes well with Galivan's, balancing the raspy and growled style Galivan employs.
The only track that is still in familiar territory for fans who have been around since the beginning is "Erase Me". That being said, electronics only have a pronounced presence during the intro and then in the background of the chorus. It's got a very Issues-meets Sleeping with Sirens-meets Of Mice and Men vibe going. If we didn't know better, we'd say this was another "Risecore" band. But low and behold, Chasing Safety are signed to Outerloop, an imprint of Fearless Records.
The title track, only 1:30 in length, is another strongly electronic track, backed by a powerful drum beat. It would have been better off as the opening track rather than used to break up the album. It builds and builds, and transitions perfectly into "Long for More". But both tracks should have opened the record, rather than be placed in the middle.
The best album to compare "Nomad" to would be "Incomplete Me", the final album released by For All Those Sleeping. Both see typically electronic metalcore groups shifting toward a more accessible post hardcore sound that puts a greater emphasis on clean vocals. The difference between the two, Chasing Safety seem far more comfortable with the shift than FATS were. This seems like the natural progression of their sound, and they do maintain a few aspects of their original style. The glossy production, their anthemic choruses and the balance between heavy/light instrumentals.
Summary -
Ultimately this album shows the band are still finding their niche, but have made strong headway. They're clearing aiming for a more cut and dry post hardcore sound, rather than continue with their glitchy electronic metalcore that often bordered on I See Stars meets We Came as Romans. A great album to start the year off with, if you need a reason to listen to this album do it because it simply sounds great.
Tracks to listen to -
"Brand New Prison", "This is Hell", "Long for More", and "World We Know"
Rating - 7.5/10