A Skylit Drive’s third full length Identity on Fire takes their sound to another level. Following up 2009’s well-received Adelphia, the band employs more dynamic vocals, electronic influences, up beat and fast paced melodies, and a perfect balance of singing and screaming to create a diverse and coherent album.
Lead singer Michael “Jag” Jagmin’s vocals show more depth and style on this album, and “500 Days of Bummer” illustrates this well, with a peppy, catchy chorus and a more positive feel, it stands out as one of the best on the album. Another track that shows off Jagmin’s more dynamic vocals is “Conscious is a Killer,” another fast-paced, up-beat track.
The band has figured out how to balance singing and screaming on this album, and “If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home” is the best example of this. It is very melody driven yet loaded with screaming and the vocalists share the spotlight. This track, along with “Ex Marks the Spot” and “Xo Skeleton” are able to strike this balance are the more complex and interesting ones on the album.
The song that encompasses the entirety of Identity on Fire is the title track. This song gets crazy, with multiple things going on at once. Screaming, singing, and talking are all layered over each other for a frenzy of sound before slower moments calm things down. The song makes sense in terms of its title; it’s as if the song can’t decide weather it is slow, heavy, melodic, spoken, or sung and packs a ton of variety in only four minutes.
Identity on Fire brings lots of diversity, with electronic sounds enhancing A Skylit Drive’s instrumental and vocal ability and complex song composition that keeps the album fresh, with each song bringing something different to the overall sound. Identity on fire isn’t a huge departure from their old releases, but definitely shows a movement to a different direction that breathes new life into the post-hardcore scene.
4.5/5 stars
