It’s difficult to pin down exactly what Halfwayhome sound like, as they take influence from a stack of popular bands. There’s elements of the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Ambry, but at the same time the vocal melodies and harmonies are more akin to the likes of a Fallout Boy. The crunching guitar riffs, offset by some sweet singing, make an interesting and succesful contrast. After kicking around different labels, Halfwayhome have settled down on The Death Scene, home to Trophy Scars among many others. This album keeps up the label’s impressive releses of late, offering plenty to keep you interested well into the Autumn.
‘Four Months Until The Swarm’ has a Thursday/Story of the Year vibe about it, focusing on the strength of the vocals rather nicely. The band have a real knack for writing catchy songs, meaning ‘Ascension To Clarity’ and ‘Open The Sky’ are really easy to sing along to. At times the band do come across as very similar to many of their peers, but I don’t mind slight borrowings and unoriginality when the songs are as good as these are. Of course the band have recently been beset by tragedy as their drummer suffered a horrendous accident which could leave him paralysed. If anything, you should check out this band and buy their CD just to help his cause, but truth is Halfwayhome are worthy of your attention, sympathy or not.
www.myspace.com/halfwayhome
The Death Scene
Paul