Customer Reviews

Lead Us to Reason

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked this CD up the other day because of the Grade connection, and I figured that the sticker on the front comparing them to the Used, Muse, and AFI was probably BS. I was right, but this band doesn't really sound like Grade either. They are definitely different and I'm glad to hear it. They sound a lot more like real post-hardcore such as Far, whom I'm sure most of the people who bought this album because of the sticker have never heard of. They definitely sound like Far playing slightly faster and punkier songs to me. Their singer definitely brings a new style to the table too, since he isn't particularly screamy but he isn't melodic either. He sounds to me more like a guy you'd expect to sing for a punkier hardcore band. The lyrics are good and emotional, but not crybaby stuff like Hawthorn Heights, etc. I think I'd call "Rats in This Prison," my favorite song and its cool that local boy Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die did guest vocals on this closing track. The Black Maria are not the best band in the world and are not the next Grade, but this is a promising debut worth checking out and I expect better things to come in the future if they last.

No, it doesn't sound ANYTHING like MUSE, first off.

The Used...well...a little bit and AFI...Nah.

All in all, this is a typical album put out by Victory Records. Nothing new. If you've heard one victory records album, you've heard them all. Except for Action Action. They sound a lot different. But otherwise, Hawthorne Heights, Black Maria, Taking Back Sunday....all the same.

As for the music itself. It's not bad. It's pretty good in some instances.

But otherwise, I was hoping for something different...but I came up with...Victory Records....so...yeah. If you like the other stuff on the label, you'll like it. I like it. It's just not anything new.

When i first heard of the band and the cd i expected them to be exactly like taking back sunday or hawethorne heights(hate both of them) but even though some tracks may sound like them they are less emo and more towards the punk side. However, the label states they sound like AFI and Muse. They sound nothing like them. The song closest to a AFI song would be "Rats in the Prison" and the closest to Muse "Ash" but overall they sound nothing like those two bands.I think they're a pretty good band and would be good for the fans of Taking Back Sunday mixed with a little bit of punk.

To say that The Black Maria is not as good as The Used is a farce. This album, while not the BEST out there, is still very good. Of course a lot of poeple are comparing this album to that of Kyle Bishop's former band Grade's albums in which this one is quite a bit different. The vocals on this album contast those of Grade in that there is not as much screaming (none really). I think Grade and The Black Maria have their differences and similaries which make both bands unique in their musical styles. If you like whiny music then definatley check out The Used. Pick this album up NOW!

I have been a long time fan and follower of Chris Gray. If I seriously must tell you who he is, why are you reading this to begin with? Both Chris Gray and Kyle Bishop were innovators of the "screamo" genre. Kyle Bishop has had a guitar job before in The Swarm and now taking on the same guitarist and back up vocals role in The Black Maria. I enjoy Gray's vocal style over Bishop's, but when both vocalists combine their diverse sounding voices, it brings something interesting to the table. I can definitely hear the similarities between Grade's more recent efforts and Chris Gray's solo work. I feel "Lead Us To Reason" is a fine debut for a band of experienced musicians simply wanting to play music for the love of music.

First of all, I'd like to say that I think it was a pretty lame idea to try and sell this CD of off other bands like AFI, etc. If you put a sticker on your CD that says "for fans of" then you're just setting yourself up for a backlash from people. Of the bands listed on the sticker, AFI is the only one I listen to and who's music I am familiar with, and I think it's a pretty horrible comparison to say that they're anything alike. I happen to like AFI and The Black Maria, but I can understand someone being quite angered if they were to buy this CD on that premise.
Now that I got that cleared up, to the main point. I bought this CD after seeing the band live on tour with Sum 41. They seemed good enough live, so I decided to give Lead Us to Reason a chance. I was actually quite surprised by how good the album was. I was expecting something that I might just rip onto my computer and listen to the occasional song or two, but from start to finish, this is a pretty solid CD.
The opening track, "The Memento" is a pretty catchy song and sets the mood for the rest of the album, as an opening track should do. Next up is their single "Betrayal", which I don't consider to be one of their better songs. It might be the sort of single that they need to get a more diverse fan base, but I don't recommend forming an opinion of the band off of this one song.
"Our Commitment's a Sickness" and "Mirrors and Cameras" are another couple of very catchy songs, with the second one possibly being my favorite one on the album. The other one that I'm considering as my favorite is the slower "The Lines We Cross". Starting off with a really nice piano tune that eventually picks up into a heavier (although very short) segment, this song gives the listener a change which is perfectly placed in the middle of the CD. "Rats In the Prison" gives the album a good ending, although nothing all that different from what we've already heard.
When all is said and done, The Black Maria doesn't really throw anything new into the musical equation. They seem to have a familiar sound that I have a hard time putting a band to. Perhaps it's a mere combination of bands we've all heard over and over again, but does this really affect the quality of the album? I personally don't think so. This band stills seems to be one of the more promising new acts in the scene and for the price of Lead Us to Reason, it's worth picking up.

This band is simply something else. They are better than AFI in my opinion, (not that i don't like AFI) but Muse is definatly better. They strike a chord with you in their own way. if anything get "Betrayal" and "Organs." Both good songs and they have good instruments in them. :)

You know what im going to come right out and say that you are all wrong. I have seen these guys over 5 times adn everytime they are better. There music is nothing at all like the used or afi. And the afi that people are trying to compare it to is gargge afi. you want to listen to afi pick up the old old aclbum not the new stuff. These guys are qiute different then hawthrone heights and taking back sunday, they bring their own style. And i have had the chance to meet these guys multiple times and they are jsut a bunch of regular guys playing their hearts out for the music, unlike bands such as tbs who are all for the money. It makes me sick that bands like that get the respect they do.

I think the main reason for the negative reviews on this CD is the fact that the label says The Black Maria is for fans of The Used, Muse, and AFI. I'll admit that's the only reason I bought the CD, because I like all three of those bands. However, once you listen to "Lead Us To Reason" you realize that The Black Maria doesn't sound anything like any of those bands. I don't think it's necessarily fair to compare them to those bands, though, because none of them sound a thing like each other either. The Black Maria is a good band if you don't try to make them sound like someone else, although it's nothing amazing or ground-breaking. They just play good music. "The Memento" is a particularly catchy song and although several of their more ballad-like songs sort of bleed into each other until you become more familiar with the CD, they aren't bad at all. They have good lyrics and a good sound. They don't sound like The Used, Muse, or AFI, but do you really want a clone of any of those bands? Take The Black Maria for who they are and try to appreciate that. Don't base your opinions on the misleading label.

I think the title speaks for itself. The Black Maria is Tacking Back Sunday with a hint of darkness, but I wouldn't compare it to other Victory Records' bands such as Hawthorne Heights, which I think has a more of an emo sound. But don't get me wrong, if you like Tacking Back Sunday, and The Used then I think you will like the CD, which is kinda a combination of te two.