Reviews

In my travels, I have come to observe something strikingly important to the review of this record: the only thing worse than Long Island emo scene kids are Pittsburgh hardcore scene kids.  With that said, allow me to introduce suburban Pittsburgh’s new sensitive tough guys, Clearview Kills.   From the outsiders’ perspective I see a band that wants to please everybody, which in turn makes them seem indecisive and unsure of what kind of music they really want to play. I see a band that draws from metal, hardcore, emo/screamo and punk but doesn’t really excel in any of the latter.  As a band that has shared stages with The Misfits and then Sugarcult and My Chemical Romance, Clearview Kills strikes me as that one dude you went to high school with who always had to be friends with everybody but never actually established who he really was.  With that said, the music is very safe, as greased up and polished as their shiny scene hair.         
 
The EP’s intro is very deceiving as to what the rest of the record will sound like. The two minute track begins like it’s going to be a killer breakdown song but…not so much. It’s called “No Sympathy For a Fallen Angel,” and displays a knack for screaming vocals but a little too Taking Back Sunday with the dueling vocal parts.  “Goodnight” is a solid track but it feels forced.  Lines like “In our hearts, we are one,” are sung with so little effort that I don’t believe Clearview Kills has their hearts in the song, or in any song for that matter.  “I am The Furthest Thing From Starting Over” is where some of the punk influence comes in as long as the real chugging guitar parts.  However with lyrics like “My heart broke open and there’s blood running down the wall/The pain in my stomach is ripping me apart,” the song becomes just another vomit inducing metaphor for the shitty things girls do.  The only song I can really get into is “Stereo,” the last track on the record.  It’s catchy, that’s all.
 
For a band that could have a lot of potential, this EP lacks drive, effort, creativity and differentiation. I highly suggest that if Clearview Kills wants to stick around, they head back into the studio and find a way to distinguish themselves.  “Wrap This Around Your Neck” is unimpressive when it really has the ability to be something great.