Punishing, brooding, and heavy might be three words that come to mind when hearing
Your Eyes My Dreams Weapons Are Useless, particularly on the opening "Deadlocked," with its triple-time, rat-a-tat-tat drumbeat that leads directly into the more linear but hellish "Complacency Killed the Cat." Lead singer Jason Pryor often sounds like he's growling through the lyrics with a sense of doom while guitarists Brett Walker and Josh Tuten change from fast to slow and back again. The group tends to excel on the faster, slightly straightforward but occasionally plodding tracks such as "Anna Rebekah" that once again has Pryor showing his rather limited vocal range. And from there the group seem to tread over similar ground with lackluster songs like "The Forecast Calls for Rain." One noticeable departure from this has to be the better-than-average testosterone-saturated, metal-riddled "When the Going Gets Rough," which contains traces of nu-metal within it.
Your Eyes My Dreams shine from time to time, especially on the longer and well-rounded "Even an Angel Fell" that has more punch and pop to it. Another strong number is the intricate and relentless "Treason, War, and the Tyranny of Evil Men" that has the band clicking on all cylinders. The hooks become stronger and more apparent the longer the album continues, with "Chasing the Clouds" having more in common with hardcore emo than heavy metal. Following an abrupt change of pace with the piano-led "Armistice" that seems like a breather, the group round things out during "Society's Flawed Perspective of the Truth." It's basically more of the same, although the guitar riffs seem a tad sharper and crisper, resulting in some of the album's best moments. The guitars are also front and center while Pryor is left to spout his doomsday-like delivery underneath. And despite clocking in at nine minutes, there's a hidden track that is an odd, humorous hip-hop tune in the vein of early
Beastie Boys. ~ Jason MacNeil