Sinai Beach
"Immersed"
Victory Records

Victory saw a goldmine in Facedown records when they signed Comeback Kid last year. So it wasn't any shock that when Sinai Beach starting grabbing some attention on, you guessed it, Facedown Records, they also got signed to Victory.

"Immersed" is a typical modern day metalcore album. Heavy Electronic parts, Breakdowns that occur so often that you honestly lose count and singing over screaming quite often.

The album begins with the ever so popular instrumental track "Apocalypse" which is very good, because we don't hear the singers really bad singing voice. That is my main problem with Sinai Beach, they'd have a very solid album if he kept to screaming throughout the song. I realize that with the ever so popular singing/screaming combo in hardcore/metal today that bands may want to hop on the bandwagon, but it could ruin a song, or an entire album like it did here.

The music is typical, fast paced guitars, drums that beat at light speeds and the singer brutal singing. Formulaic Chugga-Chugga sound that is so prevalent today. It's a dime a dozen sound, and I think eventually people will get sick of it.

A concern that I have, is that sound effects are becoming so popular in songs today. "To the Church" uses a techno like sample at the beginning of the song and it goes from there. And once again, clean vocals ruin a song.

I don't want to say the band failed with this release, but it could have been much better. The singing is what gets to me. It annoys me, because a song could be going really well and then you hear the clean vocals. It's disappointing.

Reviewed by: Chris Buehler
Reviewed on: June 6, 2005