Artist: Before Today

Album: A Celebration Of An Ending

Label: Equal Vision Records

Tracks: 10

Length: 34:42

                  Reviewed By: Justin Brinker

 

The first time I had heard Before Today I actually enjoyed the song, felt like I had heard it before somewhere, but still enjoyed it.  That song was, “Pierce The Veil” on an Equal Vision Records compilation put out this past summer. Fast forward a few months and Before Today releases their first full-length debut,  “A Celebration Of An Ending”, and that familiarity heard earlier this summer on that compilation was not unsubstantiated. 

 

“A Celebration Of An Ending” is the love child of mall pop-punk, screamo, and even a bit of metal here and there.  While listening to the short-lived debut album every track sounds like something you have heard before and the fact is, you have.  Whether it is the boyish high-pitched melodic vocals (see Saves The Day, Blink 182, New Found Glory, and Lagwagon, etc.) the INCESSANT screaming vocals (see Thursday, Alexisonfire, Dead Poetic, etc.), the constant high-speed rat-at-tat drum parts (see any Tooth and Nail, Fat Wreck, Epitaph pop-punk act) it has all been done before. The truth is Before Today sounds like a 90’s skate punk band that decided to throw in some tempo changes, a barrage of screaming vocals, and some clean picking parts here and there for the sake of creativity.  Unfortunately this ends up sounding like a slew of erratic influences that never blend well together. 

 

Before Today could be a strong pop-punk act if that was the path that they chose, but it is not.  They do have a few catchy songs, and at times sound like a cohesive unit but that’s not enough to sustain repeated listens. Before Today attempts to give us a different take on this genre but instead the results sound awkward and generic.