Trophy Eyes. An aggressive and melodic 5 piece hardcore band from Newcastle.
I’d be surprised if you’re yet to hear about Trophy Eyes. These guys are headed places, especially in the hardcore scene. Of course, being Crtive we’re not going to give a bad review (At least not at this stage). Right now I’ve just thrown on Mend, Move On and I’d like to think you’ll do the same while reading through this review.
Trust me you’ll thank me for it later. Click that little blue link above and enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKSQmmbHYt0
If your name is Liam Saunders then you’d already know that In Return is my favorite track off this album. To make things even better, Trophy Eyes release a music video to go with it. This intense song and music video has a little touch of sadness surrounding it but seriously… try and not sing along after playing it 96 times. Exactly.
In Return kicks off with the tap of drum sticks that counts vocalist John Floreani in. Right now I’m struggling to write about this song because I’m too caught up in singing along. The passion in Floreani’s voice is there from start to finish. This whole song is an apology for his destructive behaviors that took place after his parents divorce. However that doesn’t take away from the hard-hitting riffs and brilliant sound.
Mend, Move On is an 11 track path into the mind of Floreani. The memories he shares in the not-so subtle lyrics is an expression of what he has had to live through. This album is a really personal selection of songs and that only adds to the passion Trophy Eyes put into this!
My Name On Paper is the first track on this 11 piece. It essentially sets the tone of this album by throwing strong punches of emotion at you. Get through this song and you’ll be prepared for what is about to come in this amazing collection of tunes. It’s definitely a great intro song, especially if this is the first track you’ve heard from them.
Come Clean starts off a lot slower than My Name On Paper. However, as soon as the ticker turns over to 30 seconds you’d better prepare yourself because this song comes back with engaging lyrics and original vocals.
So… I’m pretty sure I’m already close to being over my average word count and I’m only two songs in. Okay let’s take it back a notch. Convalescence, Family Name and Responsibility and Structure are all fucking sick songs that take place over a short but sweet 8 minutes. Convalescence starts of with the strong sound of Floreani before going into an instrumental for a short 15 (or so) seconds, giving the rest of the band a chance to show of their talents. Family Name takes a different approach to the sounds we’ve heard so far in this release. But nonetheless it’s still as lyrically strong as all the others. Responsibility and Structure… Just go listen to it!
I’m going to take a quick break to just say… This is awfully hard to review because I literately just want to say “This song is sick. Listen to it”. Saying that 11 times, though, would clearly get repetitive. This whole album is incredibly aggressive but catchy and I’d feel bad for giving it all away. So here’s an idea.. I’ll skip ahead to Penfold State Forest and you can decide for yourself about the others.
The ending to this album like the previous 10 songs, is strong and enjoyable to hear. If you’ve be able to not pick up a couple of lyrics already, good luck with this one. The 2.37 marks one last drum solo and is the beginning of the end. “The scar they won’t forget” is the perfect ending to this album because Trophy Eyes just did that. Left a mark that you simply won’t forget. I’m certain you’ll walk away from this one with a smile.
※ Liam Barr
