Embodyment

Item: The Narrow Scope Of Things
Author: Michial Farmer

The Narrow Scope Of Things

(2000)

Reviewed by Michial Farmer

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Label Solid State RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2000

alternative metal emo metalcore post-hardcore

The band's name and their home label were all I needed to make up my mind. "Great," I thought, sliding the CD into its slot in the player, "more hardcore." So you can imagine my surprise when, several measures into the first song, Sean Corbray, Embodyment's lead singer, greeted me with a well-crafted and performed melody. With the addition of Corbray, the band has abandoned the thrashy hardcore they were formerly known for, instead favoring a more emo direction this time around. However, unlike most emo singers, Corbray has some idea of how to sing on key, and as a result, The Narrow Scope of Things is more listenable than the majority of emo-influenced albums that have crossed my desk in the past year.

Don't think that Embodyment has lost their edge, though, hardcore fans: several songs, most notably "Assembly Line Humans" contain that teeth-grinding, bone-crunching hard edge that Solid State Records is known for, and these songs should satiate even the angriest hardcore kid. For the rest of us, The Narrow Scope of Things offers several absolutely gorgeous ballads, the best of these being "One Less Addiction":

I fight this with two closed fists
Under a purple sky
Naked trees are clawing for the air
This won't pull on emotions

But it's something to do
Go ahead, try it
If you dislike, refunds at the door
I always fell for the sucker punch...

I'll remain transparent
And while you speak in codes, I'll speak in spirit

Other songs, such as "Pendulum" attempt (rather unsuccessfully, in my opinion) to combine the band's new softer edge with hardcore. In the end, though, if The Narrow Scope of Things is remembered for anything, it will be for the remarkable pop sensibilities and melodies crafted within.

4 tocks