Break To Broken – The War On Sparrows LP (Engineer Records)

A new batch of Engineer Records releases arrived at our headquarters today. Although my schedule is tight these days, one particular vinyl record caught my eye, so I needed to write something about it today. It’s exactly what this website has been missing for months. Break To Broken nurture such a specific sound that resembles something those late eighties and early nineties post-hardcore groups would eventually record throughout their careers. For those unfamiliar with these folks, Break To Broken is a post-hardcore trio from Australia and US, and The War On Sparrows is their debut full-length album, released on vinyl by Engineer Records and cassette by Ripcord Records.

Perhaps these guys nurture that recognizable old-school post-hardcore sound, but more music genres lurk in their music. You’ll notice many of them while listening to these twelve compositions. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest properties of punk rock, post-punk, noise-rock, indie rock, and emo. However, these guys remain loyal to the late eighties and early nineties sound, with just a couple of explorations into contemporary indie rock. As soon as you put a needle on this vinyl record, you’ll notice Break To Broken are into details. Their music resonates with such a specific vibe that all the fans of post-hardcore and post-punk will appreciate the most. Still, these experienced musicians handle all the other music genres with such ease, and you’ll have many difficulties spotting weak spots on this album.

These guys burst with impressive ideas and exceptional musicianship from scratch to finish. There’s no way you’ll miss all these regular and improvised chord progressions, heavy riffs, melodies, harmonies, themes, leads, and other sonic maneuvers. These guitar layers sound detailed on each track and perfectly match the equally complex low-end tones. The bass guitar gives even more depth and clarity to the beforementioned chord progressions. Still, it also serves as a binding element between guitars and jaw-dropping drumming performance. Nothing could sound so profoundly dynamic without excellent rhythmic sequences built upon energetic beats, constant time-signature changes, accentuations, drum fills, and other percussive acrobatics. The continuous duels between two vocalists help this material to shine even brighter in its diversity. Break To Broken also thought about all the back vocals and singalongs, which further emphasize particular segments of these tracks. There is no doubt that this debut is one of the best post-hardcore albums you’ll hear this year, mainly because Break To Broken invested so many ideas into it, and the effort paid off in such excellent material full of pleasant surprises. Head to Engineer Records for more information about ordering this post-hardcore gem.