The definition of collide is: hit with force when moving. Throughout our lives we collide with many things, some are tangible while some are not. Regardless of whatever it might be, when we collide with something it impacts us. The hit can come as big or small but no matter what, we still feel it. In listening to Cartel’s 2013 self-released album, Collider, feelings of nostalgia and growing up will indefinitely creep in. Some songs will hit you like a ton of bricks while others will feel like a butterfly landing on your cheek. Whatever you feel when moving along through the songs on this album, one thing for certain, they will act as a strong force guaranteed to have some kind of impact on you.
Static and an instrumental intro lead into the first track on, Collider. Though claiming the number 1 spot on the album, “Second Chances” is about everything but first time experiences. Reminiscent of the past, the track contains lyrics such as, “Erase and rewind it back from the end” along with, “I know there’s no second chances, but I’m still hoping there’s exceptions.” A lyrical indicator of what the content throughout the album will be. The track has Cartel written all over it while still incorporating a few new elements of sound/production.
“First Things First,” otherwise known as track 3 on the album should be the first song everyone listens to when they wake up in the morning. It’s upbeat, motivational and easily a lyrical favorite. “Things could be worse but they could be better” is among a collection of words specially crafted to be relatable and get you thinking. The instrumentals take precedent over vocals at various points throughout the track giving it a nostalgic Chroma feel that is undeniably what every Cartel fan has been holding onto since 2005.
Mid album are three jams that all feel very specific and direct. “Uninspired” stands out the most as it could easily be directed toward the political system found within the music industry. In past interviews lead vocalist, Will Pugh has admittedly spoke about the importance of creative control and for anyone who knows the systematic elements that make up the music industry, lyrics such as, “And now they’re selling us a way out a bitter pill, we can’t afford the blood we’ve spilled” sound very much like a metaphoric reference to the lack of control artists sometimes have/feel when under a label.
One of the best guitar riffs on the entire album can be found on track 7, “Sympathy.” The intro is shorter in comparison to others; however, the riff has its time to shine on multiple places throughout the song. Instrumentally, “Sympathy” has the most going on – especially around the 3:20 track time when an out of this world sound is incorporated with a slight echo. Track 9, “Disconnect” also does a lot instrumentally while hitting some heavier chords and drum parts. “Disconnect” is a track similar to “Uninspired,” as the lyrics give off a few indications that the song might be about the disconnect Cartel now has with labels and their systematic rules.
Slowing it down is the final song on the album, “A Thousand Suns.” It echoes an element of hopeful optimism. Rather than leading into the song with instrumentals, Pugh sings with very little instrumental backing for about the first minute of the song. The tone is very different than the rest of the album, however, it gives a vibe like there’s a “part two” coming. It doesn’t feel like a track that would indefinitely conclude an album and because of that it leaves listeners wanting more.
Rating: 4.5/5
The best part about this album is its quality, especially considering that, Collider was self-released. It says, “Cartel is back and better than ever before,” with confidence. The collection of songs help in making the album one that listeners can put on repeat and listen to repetitively. Motivational lyrics and the backstory behind the album only make it that much more meaningful. For anyone who hasn’t heard the album, get ready for the impact, that is, Collider.
South By So What?! has released it's next round of the bands for the festivals 2015 festival. Check out the festivals lineup so far below!
Adaliah
Balance & Composure
Barrier
Bent Life
Chon
Circa Survive
Close Your Eyes
Emmure
Everyone Likes Cathleen
Famous Last Words
Fine Fine Titans
Fire From The Gods
Ghost Town
Gift Giver
Ice Nine Kills
Kublai Khan
La Dispute
Modern Pain
Power Trip
Set It Off
Silent Planet
Stray From The Path
Title Fight
Traitors
Unity
Vulgar Display
Within The Ruins
Wolves At The Gate
Against The Current
As Blood Runs Back
As We Talk
Attila
Carnifex
Courage My Love
Crown The Empire
Death Before Dishonor
Elitist
Every Passing Dream
Hundredth
Knuckle Puck
Like Moths To Flames
My Ticket Home
New Years Day
No Bragging Rights
Norma Jean
Palisades
Polyphia
Rotting Out
Slaves
Suicide Silence
Sworn In
Take It Back!
The Color Morale
The Family Run
After The Burial
A Skylit Drive
Beartooth
Betrayal
Born Osiris
BoyMeetsWorld
Chelsea Grin
Front Porch Step
Hawthorne Heights
Memphis May Fire
My Body Sings Electric
Sirens & Sailors
Texas In July
This Legend
Upon A Burning Body
Vanna
Veil of Maya
Youth In Revolt
Atreyu
Capsize
Cartel
Chiodos
Conquer Divide
Dear You
Driver Friendly
Fallujah
Fear and Wonder
For The Win
For Today
Gideon
Good Morning Gorgeous
Hatebreed
Hotel Books
Invent, Animate
I See Stars
Jesse Lawson
Motionless In White
Mouth Of The South
Oceano
Silent Screams
Superheaven
The Last Ten Seconds of Life
This Wild Life
Villains
Black Tongue
Boris The Blade
Dayseeker
Enter Shikari
Ghost Atlas
He Is Legend
Lydia
Mayday Parade
Monuments
Outline in Color
Parables
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
The Alchemy Index
The Browning
The Maine
The Ongoing Concept
We Came As Romans
Yesterday As Today
South By So What?!
Location: Quiktrip Park -Grand Prairie, TX
Reviewed By: Nikki Phillips
This last weekend I got the awesome opportunity to attend and photograph Third String Production’s 7th South By So What?! Music Festival. This being Third String’s longest festival to date (3 days), you could tell from the moment the gates opened on day 1 that this was going to be something the Dallas music scene would be talking about for quite some time. What really made SBSW stand out to me this year is the fact that each day took on a life of it’s own, wether that be the diverse mix of bands and genres or the dramatically different weather conditions that seized each day. With 100+ bands on the 3 day line-up everyone came prepared for a crazy weekend and it definitely lived up to it’s expectations.
Although i’m not familiar with the majority of the bands that played day 1 it was obvious that SBSW had stepped up it’s game bringing in some of the bigger bands to headline including The Used, Taking Back Sunday and Asking Alexandria. With fan favorites such as I See Starts and Sworn In playing in the evening and Dallas locals Under Dog House and Coronet opening the day, it was the perfect way to kick off a fantastic weekend.
As for day 2, I guess it could be a tough break or a great time just depending on how you look at it. If you’re looking for a positive spin on hours and hours of rainfall washing out a music festival, the first couple of hours were a blast. Even through the rain there were fans running around in ponchos seeing their favorite bands acting as if the rain clouds moving in were the last things on their mind! Yes, of course having the festival canceled before headliners Of Mice & Men and Bring Me the Horizon was awful but you have to keep in mind that it was all in the best interest of the bands and most importantly the fans! But to sum up day 2 in it’s entirety, up until cancellation it was an awesome time seeing cool bands like Cursed Sails, Issues and letlive. kill it even through the harsh conditions.
From the 1st band to the last, day 3 had a continuous stream of incredible bands playing on various stages at all times. Day 3 really stood apart from the other 2 days genre wise. The bands on the line up were predominantly hardcore with pop punk bands like The Story So Far, Knuckle Puck and Neck Deep to top off the already solid roster. With the wind chill making the temperature feel in the mid to low 40s, it was definitely an entertaining day for everyone who actually stuck around. I personally couldn’t decide which was funnier, watching people layer on so many freshly bought sweatshirts that they looked like they were about to tip over or seeing how many girls really could fit in the heated bathrooms at Quick Trip Park. Back to the actual music part of the festival though, there were local bands Misconceptions and Third Coast setting the bar high right from the start of the day and it was all uphill from there. With Texas hardcore bands Modern Pain and Vulgar Display taking the stage soon after it undoubtedly wasn’t a day to miss. Not to mention bands Expire and Backtrack who took the festival by storm. The Story So Far and The Devil Wears Prada finished off the festival and I don’t think they could have picked a better set of bands to close of South By So What?! until next year.
I really think Third String Productions accomplished something great this year and that was just bringing together a huge, diverse group of people and showing them exactly what a great music festival looks like. Regardless if you enjoy the music or not this was just a great experience for everyone involved and there wasn’t a single thing that could’ve been changed to make it better. (Except for maybe the weather?)
Colleen Brent met up with with Dave of We Came As Roman this past weekend at South By So What?! in Dallas, TX to talk about the festival, Tracing Back Roots 1 year anniversary and about making a career out of playing music.
Colleen Brent: It’s great to interview you guys again, once more for the record please state your name and role in the band.
I’m Dave and I do vocals.
CB: I’m here at South By So What?! – What’s it like jumping from festivals to the regularly scheduled Breaking Down the Walls tour, back to a festival, and then resuming the tour?
DS: It’s exciting to have a different schedule everyday and meet up with so many bands we’re friends with. At the same time, it’s difficult to get into any kind of routine like we do on normal venue tours.
CB: Is it difficult to change pace so much at the beginning?
DS: It was difficult because I haven’t even had a chance to say hi to all the bands were technically on tour with because all our schedules are so random and crazy!
CB: Who are/did you look forward to seeing at South By So What?! this year?
DS: It was awesome to watch Taking Back Sunday and The Used. I was so inspired by those bands growing up and I have a huge amount of respect for them so it was great to watch their sets.
CB: How do you determine the set list? With Tracing Back Roots becoming more familiar with the crowd do you begin to phase out old songs and introduce the new?
DS: Creating our set list is always such a struggle. We all individually have our favorite songs, so after much debate and hours of discussion we finally come up with something…and that usually changes again a couple more times throughout the tour haha. Songs off Tracing Back Roots have been our most responsive and demanded songs live so we’ve been playing mostly new material every night.
CB: Tracing Back Roots is approaching it’s 1 year anniversary, have the reactions to it changed at all?
DS: Absolutely. It continues to make its way to more people and our fans continue to enjoy listening to it.
CB: What can fans expect from We Came as Romans in the future?
DS: A continued rigorous tour schedule with energetic live shows!
CB: Your music carries a message of hope, what is it like when fans tell you stories of your impact on their lives?
DS: It’s incredible. I never thought I’d be saving people’s lives and changing so many people in a good way when we first started this. Hearing about people making massive changes in their lives as a result of our lyrics is such an amazing feeling.
CB: If you could play a show with any band, past or present, what would your dream line up be?
DS: Underoath, Architects, Linkin Park, Thrice, Slipknot
CB: Can you describe the defining moment when you realized that being in a band was no longer a hobby but instead a career?
DS: About 4 years ago I was sitting on my parents couch (‘cause I was dead broke and still living with them at the time haha) and I got a call from our former business manager telling me we were all getting paid from the headliner we had just got back from. Not only were we getting paid, but it was a decent amount for us at the time and I completely freaked out because I then realized I could actually do this for a living.
CB: Do you ever get nervous before sets?
DS: I’m always a little nervous but hometown shows in Detroit make me insanely nervous. Something about playing in front of all the people you love, grew up with, worked with, went to school with, etc. is so scary. I’ve even got sick before a hometown show from my nerves. It’s all good though, once the set starts it just turns into adrenaline.
CB: Do you have a favourite lyric- either of your own or another band? What does it mean to you?
DS: “There’s a war inside me.” I love this lyric and it’s even tattooed on me. It’s so important to always try to better yourself and better your life.
CB: What’s one of the craziest experiences you’ve had in the last year of touring?
DS: Flying the wrong way around the world from Europe to Australia. 6 flights, excluding layovers, 52 hours of flight time. By the time we landed, I didn’t know what day it was, what time it was…I couldn’t even remember the first two flights! I was a zombie.
CB: Any last words for your fans?
DS: Thank you for listening and supporting us!
Keep up to date with We Came As Romans on the following websites:
http://wecameasromans.com
http://facebook.com/wecameasromans
http://twitter.com/wecameasromans
Photographers Colleen Brent and Nikki Phillips covered South By So What?! in Quiktrip Park, Grand Praire, Texas last week. This week we'll be bringing you coverage from the 3 day festival which consists of various Photo Galleries, review of the festival and interviews with musicians BoyMeetsWorld and We Came Romans.
