This review covers the punk rock track Story of the Year – And the Hero Will Drown.
This track was released in 2003 on the album Page Avenue. The track also made an appearance on the game Need for Speed: Underground.
The track starts off with some feedback sound. Guitars and a drum kit then comes in. After a snare roll, the vocals come in for a verse. The vocals do incorporate some screaming in the mix, but it isn’t exclusively this. At the end, the notes extend to imitate a slowdown.
A short main chorus comes in after that. From there, the vocals take the track into another verse. The notes extend again before the vocals lead the track into the main chorus. This main chorus is much more full. What is capped off is an instrumental section.
The vocals then come back briefly for a bridge. From there, the track pulls back as the vocals go through a quieter version of the main chorus. The vocals then repeat the main chorus normally as the backing instruments come back.
Element of the main chorus is repeated before the track then quickly comes to an end.
When I heard this on the game, it was definitely my favourite track out of the whole soundtrack. Separately, this track is still a great track to listen to.
One thing I found interesting is the fact that it manages to handle screaming surprisingly well. I’m not a huge fan of just mindless screaming, but this track handles it very well. It really adds to the overall track.
The guitars add a lot to the track. Not only do they give this track such a nice full sound, but they also give the track an impressive variety throughout.
With so much high volume, I was worried that things like the drum kit would be drowned out. It ends up sitting very well in the track. There’s some solid variety and it does a great job grounding the track.
Overall, this is a great track. It has great vocals, the mastering works quite well, and the guitars and drum kit all add something great to the overall track. So, a great track well worth listening to.
Score
8/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
