The Color Morale - Know Hope

Huh....it must have been shipping one big F$&*in tree....

When you are an established band, it’s hard to take your sound and drastically change it. Whether it’s because your fan base might get upset, or your label might get upset. So how does that come into play with today’s review? Today we are looking at the third album from Rockford, IL rockers The Color Morale. The album, Know Hope, is the third one on Rise Records after 2009's We All Have Demons and 2011's My Devil In Your Eyes. The third album sees a drastic change from the band that might irk some fans, but I see it as a drastically positive step in progress that will help the band in the long run.

So what is this change? Well, it comes from vocalist Garret Rapp, who decided to go for a more live tone with his voice on Know Hope. The last two albums from the band have had bassist Justin Hieser doing unclean vocal work, but this time around Rapp takes a good amount of the duties. Some people might find his voice odd, but I love it. It’s different, it’s fresh for a genre that has a good amount of generic voices, and it gives The Color Morale that push to make them different from their competition. Major compliments to the band and Rapp for making this decision 3 albums into their career. It’s a bold idea that pays off very well for making a distinct impression on the listener.

As for the lyrical content and musicianship, lets start with the musical style. Know Hope is like a melting pot of all types of hardcore. You’ll definitely hear traits of metalcore, regular hardcore, post hardcore, and djen metal. Just look at the song “Silver Lining,” which starts out as a straight up hardcore song, but brings the breakdowns hard! Guitar solos from Devin King and Aaron Saunders fly all around the album mixed in with crushing breakdowns to great effect. It’s just another aspect that gives the band a distinct sound above their peers. The drumming by Steve Carey and bass work by Justin Heiser are also excellent as they each get moments to show they are talented as well.

The lyrical content is some solid work as well. The band take a Christian mindset with their lyricism, but don’t become excessively preachy that some bands do. They make some very solid points with some songs. A perfect example is again “Silver Lining” which Rapp calls out the people who are just being fake in believing a religion. It’s an idea most people don’t want to talk about or admit, but being a person who has seen this happen, I give the band major points for taking a bold topic to talk about.

The final verdict:  Know Hope is a bold, and strong step for The Color Morale. The band has always been talented, but just needed a push into becoming different from their peers. They’ve discovered it with Know Hope as Rapp’s vocals, and the bands idea to mix so many ideologies of hardcore together make for a lasting impression on the listener. It might not work on every song, but it hits more than it misses, and when it does hit, it hits HARD!

FINAL GRADE:  B

CHOICE CUT:  “Saviorself”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34xveem-Sqw

P.s. I found this looking for the album picture...I'll leave this here...

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