Band:	Dryline
Album:	Reach For The Surface
Style:	Metalcore
Release date:	2006
A review by:	jupitreas

01. Last Day To Forget
02. Cast For Your Heart
03. Choke On The Air
04. First And Ten
05. Screaming Because He's On Fire
06. Breathing Water
07. Needless To Say
08. Touch For Sore Hands
09. We Have Until Tomorrow
10. Lipstick Scratches, Paper Rocks
11. Upon This Blade
12. In An Age Of Heroes

It's somewhat hard to review metalcore albums. Most of the bands overpopulating the airwaves these days are actually fairly proficient musicians that are quite capable of making an impressive racket. The problem is that they all sound the same and to me, no matter how good the instrumentalists might be, if they are not able to come up with something that is at least a little original, they don't deserve all that much praise.

Reach For The Surface is unfortunately exactly one of those formulaic metalcore releases that introduce absolutely nothing new to the scene. The band does have the musical chops but they choose to use them for playing the exact same riffs as those of Killswitch Engage, Unearth, As I Lay Dying, Frail Words Collapse, The Stings Of Conscience, If Hope Dies (and the list goes on). This familiar formula worked once but if it's beaten to death, it just becomes boring and let's face it, if we are to listen to metalcore, we might as well listen to the pioneers and masters and not to some sub-par carbon copy. Although the guitar work here is awesome, the drummer sounds inhuman and the production is absolutely crushing, it all simply fails to make me want to come back and listen to it again.

Let me illustrate my point. Let's assume this is a fairly well written review. Now go and read my If Hope Dies [url=review.php?review_id=2729]review[/url]. Pretty boring, huh? Well, this is exactly how Reach For The Surface makes me feel.