Break Through the Silence

Monty Are I | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 22, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B002M2N9JS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece? I don't think so, but....., November 4, 2010

By 

InnocentShadow - See all my reviews

This review is from: Break Through the Silence (Audio CD)

Monty Are I are a pretty new band, they have released one album prior to this one, and this is their sophomore album. What to expect might you think, well, the band themselves said that this album features a newer sound, filled with melodies, and catchy choruses that won't escape your head. The vocals are just beautiful, and matches the music in fact. The guitarist does a pretty good job, and so does the drummer, but the interesting part is that this isn't an album with guitars and drums only, Monty Are I incorporate a lot of different sounds, ranging from strings, to pop effects. But the only problem I would have is that this album doesn't last long, meaning you'll love it for quite some time, but it loses that same feeling really quickly, if it weren't for the lasting value, this album might just be near-perfect. As I said before, this is no masterpiece, but it sure is a piece of art, do yourself a favor, and get this album if you're a fan of Alternative music in general, or if you want to experience some new music.

Recommended Tracks: Break Through The Silence, Hope, Making Sounds, Kaleidoscope, Convoy Of Angels

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Break Through The Silence is amazing!, September 25, 2009

By 

Ryan Thompson (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Break Through the Silence (Audio CD)

So I have been anticipating a new MAI CD for a long time now and they did not let me down! The album is amazing from start to finish..The songs are classic MAI style but each song has a different feel of awesomeness. I loved Wall Of People first hearing it after I heard "In this Legacy" while playing ATV Offroad Fury 4..Before I bought his album, I listened to the singles on their Purevolume.com page for days and now Im absolutely estatic to have the whole album! Anyone who doesnt know MAI needs to listen to this and realize how talented and amazing this band is!

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Garbage, April 11, 2010

By 

Christian N. Parise "cparis" (the mitten) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Break Through the Silence (Audio CD)

Rhode Island's hometown heroes, Monty Are I, have come a long way. With the explosion of their success back in 2003, the underdogs have been able to send postcards and letters home from all over the country detailing their exciting tours with `big brothers' My Chemical Romance, Anberlin, Taking Back Sunday and Yellowcard. After an almost three year silence since their first album, Monty Are I is back with their highly anticipated sophomore album, Break Through The Silence and indeed, they do break through the silence: but they do with almost nothing but hot air and awkward redundancies.

The album kicks off with the title track, "Break Through the Silence." The typical rock anthem encouraging listeners to "raise your arms." A unifying phrase that was coined by the likes of Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi more than twenty years ago, but here in 2009, it comes across as gimmicky and superficial.

As the album takes off, the maturity and darker tone weave in and out of each track. The band attempts to capitalize on the `big progressive sound' of Coheed and Cambria and the `electronic-hard rock' hybrid of Linkin Park. The result is an awkward collection of material lacking any true substance in the lyrics. Unless, of course, you're into `picking up the pieces' on "The Stand," `fighting the pain' on "On The Wire" or the inability to `break down that wall' on "Kaleidoscope." If that's the case for anyone out there, the shallow diction that plagues a majority of the album may be waiting for you when you log into Facebook and see another one of those vapid status updates.

But perhaps the most embarrassing and uncomfortable track is the sappy love ballad, "All of You Tonight." If the title isn't enough of an indicator of the sloppy confessions to ensue, just give the track a couple seconds and you'll realize it's about as unsettling and hollow as David Letterman's interview with Joaquin Phoenix back in February.

On the brighter side of things, the artwork is phenomenal, and the instrumentals do shine through at times. The exotic sounds of the sitar and other middle-eastern instruments on Desert and Mirage do call for some attention, but are quickly drowned out by mediocre cookie-cutter melodies, and raise the question, "haven't I heard this all before?" The attempts at edgy breakdowns and electrifying guitar riffs are overdone, and in this day and age, there is nothing exceptionally unique about them.

All of this isn't to say Monty Are I lacks in their abilities and emotion. Older gems like "Between the Sheets" and "Dublin Waltz" do a fantastic job of achieving a genuinely intriguing sound. I have hope for these guys, and I know they have it in them to bounce back from this sophomore slump, I mean, U2 did it with War...right? We'll see how it plays out, but until then, Break Through the Silence isn't anything worth writing home about.