Okay, let me get one thing straight: this is favorite album of all time. While the new material coming from these five Michigan guys is definately lacking, Fordirelifesake's melodic tech-screamo masterpiece remains (and always will remain) a classic in my ever-changing CD collection.

Every song from start to finish is a metal guitar solo-driven assault of speedy technical metal backed by gorgeous harmonic backing singing vocals by not one, not two, but FIVE backing vocalists, with Matt Wedge at the frontlines, screaming his heart out. Each track intertwines with the next leaving no room for calm, making it seem less like an album and more like an epic (which, of course, it is). The lyrics of break-up and self-hatred are poetic, without sounding too sappy, much like emo for metalheads. There's also some intense moments of "crowd-chanting" for the mic-loving hardcore kids.

Breathing In Is Only Half The Function is nine tracks of high-speed rock, only slowing down briefly for track 4 in "Cross My Heart, Hope To Die," an acoustic track featuring guest vocals by a Kara Dupuy, but the song changes pace halfway through as Matt screams in harmony(?) along with Miss Dupuy, and the guitars are plugged back in to continue the brutality, making it a, if not "the," highlight of the album.

I can't stress enough how incredible this album is to me. Weither you like FDLS's latest release or not, no one who is into screamo, hardcore, or even tech-metal should avoid finding this and playing the shit out of it.