"I Am Noah and I’m tired. I’m tired of people who distinguish themselves with their income, uniform, skincolour, religion, gender or nationality to affect everything and everyone. I’m tired of being closely watched. I’m tired of living in a society, which dictates who to be or not. I’m tired of facing people’s failure in their attempt of making life better, whilst being deported and called illegal or haunted just because of their religion. I’m tired.. I’m done. I just wanna abscond from this routine. Who’s in? I Am Noah. Who are you?"
Yes, this is the latest metalcore band to hold me in its arms and call me Nancy. I am jello. I Am Noah out of Trier, Germany continues the invasion of this new wave of what I consider to be "revival" metalcore groups bringing back the crushing sound of August Burns Red and early As I Lay Dying. The riffs on this album are most excellent, as a certain duo of 90's goofballs might put it. The djent is strong with this one.
Move over Parkway Drive, this is the future. The Verdict takes me back to high school in the days I was just growing my influences with Posion the Well and Arch Enemy. After the fairly redundant intro, we are treated to a trio of hits in "Rise of Mankind," "Embrace the End," and the title track. Driving drums imprint the beats into our brains, shifting from a powerful 4:4, to d-beat, to whatever you want to call the rest. All the while hook after hook serenades us into a stupor.
The vocals stick mostly to the standard metalcore shout. It's standard stuff, but many try and fail. I Am Noah always manage to keep me entertained with shifting registers and a number of killer scream-alongs. The only clean singing is the epic, claw-in-the-air outro to "What Is Dead May Never Die," which repeatedly promises to "save you one last breath" while backed by the continued screams and breakdown chug. I have got to see this played live. Panties flying everywhere.
The verdict is in: The Verdict is awesome. Basically every song on this album is filled with fist pump-inducing energy. Even though I am certain I have heard much of these ideas used a thousand times before, the sound manages to feel refreshing when compared to the latest dissapointments from veterans like Killswitch Engage. If you're an unashamed metalcore afficionado like myself, do yourself a favor and check out the song below. Then buy this album wherever it is sold.