Ten Crowns

Traitors and Martyrs (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

The whole "so and so sounds like Cookie Monster" assessment when it comes to talking about metalcore vocalists has become trite and cliché by this point, so I'll use a different analogy to describe the singer for Ten Crowns: garbage disposal. The scraping, gargling cyclone of noise that you're likely to hear when shoving your leftovers down the hole in the sink bears a striking resemblance to the vocals in this metalcore snoozefest.

Sticking to a very specific formula, complete with chugging guitars and pulsing bass, Traitors and Martyrs does not offer much if anything in the way of musical diversity. They stick to their approach through each of the fifteen nerve-grating tracks, only sporadically offering some quicker chord progressions or underlying attempts at melody. "No Turning Back" is the only real shining example of this, as for two minutes they're able to break away from the heavy chugging to let the guitars deviate from that pattern and integrate some slick metal riffs. Aside from random tidbits such as that, everything else is just standard fare.

The vocals do pack a decent enough punch, full of anger and ferocity, but the lack of variety in inflection really sinks this ship, because there's only so long you can listen to what really sounds like the exact same song, over and over again. The riffs are lacking and uninspired, seemingly just trudging through, doing only what's necessary for one song's completion.

Not so surprisingly, the lyrics don't add any sort of depth or insight: "I will forever be a traitor to this world, if it means I can live my life my way / No one on my side, in a world full of martyrs I am defiant / I am strong, I am a traitor, to what you live by, to what you know." Coming from the album's title track, it doesn't go beyond expressing any token themes of solitude, revenge, or backstabbing. Oddly enough, in the liner notes appears a quote from Walt Whitman, whose words were far more eloquent than anything this four-piece can contribute. Regardless of lyrical shortcomings, the music just cannot make up for it. The riffing is tired, the drumming boring, the bass almost nonexistent, and the overall song structures just leave a lot to be desired.

The highlight of the entire album, however, is when the song "I Stand Alone" stops in the middle for the singer to say "Alright, this is for all the little boys parading around at hardcore shows. Grow up, or get the fuck out." Classy.