The sophomore outing from the Toronto-based (djent)lemen responsible for 2011's fractured metalcore missive
Divided By finds the hard-hitting Canadians parting ways (amicably) with vocalist Nick Xourafas and handing guitarist Brendon Padjasek the mike. The resulting
Life Through a Window begins innocuously enough (for the genre) with the fairly rote "Buried," a willfully dissonant slab of breakdown-heavy aggro-metal that hurls fridge poetry nuggets like "we bury the stains that remain on the clothing of yesterday" and "fu*k this place, and fu*k the entire human race" at the listener with extreme petulance -- Padjasek's frantic screaming is relatively interchangeable with Xourafas', though he does possess a bit more gravel. "Nothing to Lose" sweetens the pot with a ferocious gang vocal chorus and "The Worst of Both Worlds," which features guest vocals from
Stray from the Path frontman Drew York and "Follower," which asks the same from
Northlane crooner Adrian Fitipaldes, boasts some undeniably brutal moments, but it's the relentless and surprisingly melodic title cut and its equally dark and mellifluous kissing cousin "Extinction," with their seismic choruses and nimble fretwork that suggests that
Structures have more to offer the world than just angsty diary scribblings and atonal, palm-muted harmonics. ~ James Christopher Monger