Hell or Highwater “Begin Again” review
Hell or Highwater
Brandon Saller – Vocals
Matt Pauling – Guitar
Neal Tiemann – Guitar
Joey Bradford – Bass
Captain Carl – Drums
review by Taylor Pesqueira
@Taylor_Sailor
Hell or Highwater is a side project from Brandon Saller formerly of Atreyu (on hiatus). Hell or Highwater takes on more of a melodic hard rock sound with Saller ditching drums to become the lead singer of this band.
Available Now
Track List:
1. Gimmie Love
2. Hail Mary!
3. Terrorized In The Night
4. Tragedy
5. Find The Time To Breath
6. Rock Waters Edge
7. Go Alone
8. When The Morning Comes
9. Crash & Burn
10. Come Alive
11. We All Wanna Go Home
I was curious to see how this would sound because I always thought that Saller could branch off and do something more than just sing back up vocals and drums. Begin Again starts off with “Gimmie Love” as the intro track. it starts with a good tempo and Saller’s vocals sounding good on the track, but it doesn’t show all of his range. Some of the lyrics are vague that make it relatable, and could possibly reflect his musical career “I’m not a saint but I make mistakes/I’m just doing the best I can”. The song also has a bro chant and guitar solo that fit the mold for the melodic rock sound.
“Hail Mary” is one of the stronger tracks because it has the harmonies and melody that Saller is so good at belting out. Saller’s voice was always one of the better parts of Atreyu and I’m glad that he decided not to let his singing chops go to waste. This song has that smokey piano intro that is soon followed by a charged guitar riff. The music, melody and vocals all compliment each other very well. This song also has a killer guitar solo midway through that makes you want to bust out your spandex and aqua net hair spray.
something I was not expecting at all was country metal; “Go Alone” is just that. I was surprised when I first heard it and even more surprised that it was done so well that, I ended up liking it. This is a key track because it has a unique sound and the out come of it is above average. With guest vocals from M. Shadows (Avenge Sevenfold), Saller’s definitely knew what he was doing when he picked this song for the duo to collaborate on.
Begin Again has all the parts that make a metal album: guitar solos, ballads, peppered double kick drum, prominent guitar parts and so on. Hell or Highwater have a lot of melody, and that is usually what grabs me first, but over all the album didn’t do it for me. Halfway through the album it starts getting a bit repetitive and monotone with lyrics and sound. Overall I give the album a 6 out of 10; It’s not a bad album it’s just not my style.
For fans of: Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Falling in Reverse
facebook.com/HellorHighwaterofficial
twitter.com/Hell0rHighwater
HellorHighwaterofficial.com
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
Related Posts
Best of 2024: from Ricky Frankel →
PHOTOS: Mac Sabbath Celebrates 10 Years alongside Guttermouth and Angry Samoans →
State Champs Release Self-Titled Album Today →
