A solid first release from a band you've never heard of.  

Artist: Dear Whoever
Album: Sound the Trumpet
Label: Brokenline Records
Tracks: 7
Running Time: 25 Minutes

First off, I'm not a hardcore guy. Actually, there are very few bands I like that have any screaming at all. However, Dear Whoever has always been one of those "screaming bands" that I like.

Sound the Trumpet is 7 tracks of screamo/post-hardcore/etc. The best thing about this album is the variety. The second track, "Breaking the Silence With Your Last Breath", is a piano driven song.  Move ahead a track to "Security Without Doubts" and you've got a techno introduction.  Every song takes on a different feel.

Another plus from this disc is the actual singing. It's refreshing to hear a screamo band that has guys who can actually sing well. Dear Whoever harmonize well and also sing some very catchy melodies.

Lyrically, Dear Whoever's words are fairly spiratual.; most notably in the song "We Cry Mercy." Their lyrics come off as genuine though. These guys definitely aren't 'playing the Christian market' or any such thing.

The only gripe I have about Sound the Trumpet is length. 25 minutes isn't a whole of of music. Given that the closing track "A Place For The End" is an instrumental and "Battlefield Radio" is basically an extended  introduction to "We Cry Mercy", there are only five real songs. Those five songs are all good, but they leave me wanting at least a couple more.

I'm nowhere near an expert on screamo (or whatever tag you prefer), but I know a good album when I hear one. Sound the Trumpet is definitely worth checking into for any fans of hard music. Dear Whoever's musicianship won't drop your jaw, but the use of melodies and variety just might.    www.purevolume.com/dearwhoever