One Step Closer really seem to have the skills to emerge in a saturated world like the nowadays alternative scene.
It is not an easy thing to do when there’s tons of other good bands around, but the news of their new record raised an hype that put them totally under the spotlight.
Following their acclaimed maiden work, This Place You Know, All You Embrace is the band’s sophomore full-length album and enters by right between the most awaited records of the year so far.
Known for their more hardcore-oriented early stuff, the band started to turn more melodic with the EP Songs For The Willow, and the new record is all about continuing this journey. I would describe it as “hardcore you listen to when staring at the blue sky on a rooftop.”
Although All You Embrace is indeed a pleasant record, it gives me the feeling of a transition work. With no aim to make any style comparison, it just seems to me that the band are still shaping their own sound, much like Thrice when Vehissu came out.
I don’t think the band are moving towards a true experimentation, but they’re surely exploring and growing their capabilities.
There’s a huge work on vocals here: Ryan Savitski changed his style quite radically since the first album, with interesting results. The whole record builds up around this change, so even the arrangements result to be more melodic-oriented nailing a very good alchemy.
The band even worked on songwriting with Knocked Loose’s Isaac Hale and Citizen’s Mat Kerekes, as another confirmation of the high level and quality of this album.
Orange Leaf, mixing yelled and melodic vocals, fancy power chords, and a solid drum work, is probably the song that’s better depicting the sound of today’s One Step Closer, and it’s my favorite on the record.
Single Leap Years is another good example, sounding like the real opening of the record, and it’s even a potential radio banger like the majority of the songs on the album.
So, is All You Embrace worth the hype? My answer is yes, totally.
Their new shape just made them a more various and interesting band that will surely enlarge their audience.
Alongside with Koyo and Anxious, they are defining the Run For Cover sound. In my opinion, the three bands are now playing the same music with different styles, with One Step Closer having the more hardcore attitude.
The record is available in CD, digital and a number of cool vinyl variants via the Run For Cover Store for the U.S. and EvilGreed for Europe, and I need to add something here. One Step Closer are one of the bands with the coolest merch around, but now they officially are the band with the raddest piece of merch EVER. The launch of All You Embrace came with the One Step Closer Breakfast Cereal … and that’s the best merch idea I’ve ever seen in my entire life. There’s even more: Every cereal box contains a complimentary OSC fingerboard. THAT IS SO DAMN PERFECT!!!
I raise my cereal bowl to One Step Closer. Period.
