‘Identity On Fire’ is a sickly sweet emo record from California’s A SKYLIT DRIVE which features huge pop-hooks, bouncy melodies, massive sing-a-long choruses, singing, growling, gang vocals and the occasional synth.
Singer, Michael Jagmin’s vocals are very high-pitched, while the growls from second singer/bassist, Brian White are very deep, so as a contrast it works well. The synths, however, feel a little tacked on and there’s clearly a conscious effort to steer back towards mainstream appeal for this third full length.
As a result, ‘Identity On Fire’ comes across a bit like a heavier Motion City Soundtrack record; it’s all keyboards and big choruses but it’s punctuated with guttural screams and break-downs which send it very much into screamo -pop territory.
The album’s opener is an atmospheric, gothic sounding track which sets the feel for the album without being particularly representative of what follows. ‘Conscious Is A Killer’ and ‘XO Skeleton’ are the stand-out tracks which show the poppier side of A Skylit Drive, while the title track is probably the heaviest, full of double-bass and duelling screams and the final song, ‘If You Lived Here You’d Be Home’, is straight from the Enter Shikari blue-print.
As an album it flows well and it’s incredibly polished. However, the vocals are a little grating (as they’re so high-pitched) and the songs a little samey. It’s not ground-breaking stuff but if you’re a fan of the genre, this is a well-crafted addition.
MICHAEL WILSON