With Atreyu going on an indefinite hiatus, a few of the band members have begun looking for other projects. Enter Brandon Saller’s new band, Hell Or Highwater. Drummer/co-vocalist for Atreyu, Saller is the lone singer for this group and he’s accompanied by four band members he calls “some of the greatest musicians I could have ever found.”
Brandon’s gifted singing gets the disc underway on the emotional “Gimme Love.” “Hail Mary!” follows and just like on the first track, a pretty decent guitar solo breaks out towards the end of the song. It flows extremely well into “Terrorized In The Night,” which begins with screeching electric guitars before a memorable chorus. The tone gets much softer on the fourth track, “Tragedy,” though it gets better after each time you listen to it. The same could not be said for the next song, “Find The Time To Breathe,” as Saller seems to whine a little too much about how things are going downhill.
While their singing styles are relatively similar, Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows does a damn good job complimenting Brandon on “Go Alone.” The music on “When The Morning Comes” is not too shabby but the lyrics make it a bit confusing. One minute Saller sings about making mistakes and dying and the next he describes how life keeps getting better as the days go by.
The majority of the songs here are soft but when they get louder and heavier, such as the track “Come Alive,” there are some high points. If you’re a fan of Atreyu, Killswitch Engage or Avenged Sevenfold, I’m sure you’ll like this release. Otherwise, Begin Again might not be for you.
In A Word: Tolerable
