A Hero A Fake - Let Oceans Lie (Victory Records) By: Max Barrett

[7.5/10] The first effort from North Carolina based sextet A Hero A Fake didn’t quite live up to expectations as Volatile was seen as neither success or failure and firmly cemented itself amongst many other debuts from young bands, attempting to emulate the success of the select few that managed to break their way through. This time around however, Let Oceans Lie has certainly created more of a buzz. A Hero A Fake have discovered their sound, and for the most part have managed to combine their melodic side with the rawness of the metalcore.

When A Hero A Fake has got it right on this album, the results are exceptional. The use of three guitarists could have led to a deluge of over the top inclusions and frankly overabundance of material, but the balance is just right, and credit must be given to Daniel Shaneyfelt, Patrick Jeffers and Eric Morgan on strings. Songs such as the epic “Dear” and “Swallowed By The Sea” lead the way with combinations of melodic, intricate and flicky and pure heavy riffs that bounce effectively off one another to create a versatile and diverse combination.

Lyrically, Justin Brown has added a much needed integrity and aggressive streak to his growls and screams, which drive the songs on. Additionally, Shaneyfelt’s clean-cut vocals add a nice melodic element to the choruses of opener “Our Summit, This World” and title track “Let Oceans Lie.” Here, the mix blends nicely as techy riffs move to melodic choruses met by thunderous riffs and divine growls. Unfortunately at times the clean vocals just sound whiney and fairly generic, letting the rest of what has been created down somewhat. It is most evident at the beginning of “Images” and throughout the final track “Year In Passing.”

A lot of the influences these guys mention have a melodic; post - hardcore and metalcore feel about them hence I suppose how we end up with Let Oceans Lie. Though what A Hero A Fake have done is create their own sound from which to build on in the future. Sure, this is by no means the complete package and at times it can be frustrating. They are yet to find that perfect combination that the likes of Protest The Hero and Underoath have produced on past albums however this is certainly a unique album that is pretty difficult to second guess, therefore making it stand out considerably amongst others in its genre. The future looks bright for these guys.

www.myspace.com/aheroafake