Trust No One

In a music generation where scream-o and hardcore bands really tend to rule the scene, it’s hard to find something unique that is a delight to listen to, and doesn’t give you a headache. I quite personally am extremely picky on the scream-o that I’ll listen too—if the screams give me a headache or scare the living hell out of me within the first three minutes of their song, forget it. I won’t go back to that album or band. However, there are those rare exceptions who I enjoy and that I go back to multiple times. Upon hearing Hopes Die Last for the first time, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. Last time I went into listening to their genre blindly, I ended up terrified by Asking Alexandria. However, to be totally and completely honest, upon hearing their first track off of ‘Trust No One’, I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard.

Unlike a lot of bands of their genre, Hopes Die Last has a unique calling to them—the music isn’t about screaming so much as it is the lyrics and the background music. And by background music, I don’t mean five minutes of just breakdowns and nonsense filled ‘oh’s—it’s actual music that is heavily enjoyable. As far as musical composition, this album gets a 10 out of 10 for me, considering that the music is something you can easily thrash about in a mosh pit to, but at the same time it’s great even if it’s just in your headphones. The guitar, bass, and drums all mix together beautifully, and one is never overpowering the other. The use of occasional synths and vocal effects is beautifully executed as well. As far as screams versus clean singing, the amount of high pitch screams versus deeper ones as well as clean singing goes together perfectly. The balance makes sure that things are switched up regularly and nothing is overbearing. Screams are perfectly executed in order to emphasize lyrical content. There is a perfect mix of intoxicating guitar riffs and background drum beats that makes the entire album enjoyable—if you’re a person who looks at music content more than lyrics and don’t care who does what, then this is a solid album. The track I was most impressed with and surprised with oddly enough, was track number five—‘The Blue’. It starts off slow and full of synths, and while waiting for lyrics to come in, I happened to check the time on the track. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the band had added a slow instrumental track to break up the album.

Another track that I was really surprised by was their cover of ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry. While clicking through the track listening, I automatically assumed that the song was an original. However, I’m actually really glad that they covered the song. As a really big supporter of Katy Perry, I’m always looking for more upbeat rock covers of her songs, and ones that are executed well. Hopes Die Last definitely deliver in that department. The cover may even be a little bit better than the original.

Moving away from musical content and onto lyrical content, Hopes Die Last are extremely talented with their lyrics. It isn’t typical stuff seen in their scene—it has a lot of substance that I actually really enjoy. The clean singing and the screams blend perfectly with the lyrics, and you really get a feel for the lyrics depending on the way they’re executed. It’s a beautiful little trick that not a lot of bands conduct. For that, I really do find myself impressed with Hopes Die Last. They’re a completely solid band that is more than ready to take over.

The album as a whole is really well produced and mixed. I love that it isn’t all just fast songs, then slow songs, then the album’s over. ‘Trust No One’ has a beautiful mix of slow and fast songs, followed with strong lyrics and a band that’s extremely confident in their work. I truly believe that in an industry where everything sounds the same, Hopes Die Last really stands out.