1. Star Luck
2. Anchor
3. Burning the Bed
4. Sleeping on Rocks
5. Ornament
6. Telephone (featuring Gary Forsyth of Swift)
7. Illahie
8. The Broken Line
9. Japanese Honor
10.
11. The Patron

Adrian Martinez (vocals) Tom Beagles (guitar) Dax Nelson (guitar) Asa Palmer (bass) Joel Suarez (drums)

"Listen" is the first full lenght of School for Heroes (five guys from Orlando, FL), and comes out few months after the release of the 8 songs EP called "School for Heroes". Since this EP is one of my favourite cd, my expectations for "Listen" were really great, and i have to say that it did NOT disappoint me.
When i first saw "Listen" tracklist i couldn't believe that songs such as "Lantern", "Sitting by the wayside" and "Paper bridge" weren't included in this album: indeed only two songs of the Ep are in "Listen", they are "Japanese honor" and "The patron". Anyway the ten songs of the full lenght (ten and not eleven cause one is a short instrumental intro for "The patron") are amazing like the songs of the EP are, and in each and every note you can recognize the unmistakable SFH sound.
It's not easy to describe SFH music: it's not hardcore, it's not rap metal, it's too heavy to be rock, but it's not (of course...) heavy metal, so i prefer to tell what's written in their website: "pure emotion with a dash of violence". Surely the first thing you notice listening to SFH music is Adrian voice, that is the most melancholic and introspective voice i've ever heard, even if sometimes he bursts out screaming all his rage; he reminds me of Stephen Richards of Taproot and Zo of Pulse Ultra. The sad tone of Adrian while he sings very introspective lyrics (it's incredible what Adrian screams in Illahie: "I'm not worth a second look") contrasts with the heavy riffs of the two guitars, that make is voice even more fragile.
I couldn't say what is my favourite song of the album, cause they are all great and i can't find a weak one.
"Listen" is a must for all the fans of bands such as Taproot, Staind, Pulse Ultra, Deftones, Quicksand....and definitely worth the buying for every fan of good music.

 

Alberto Scremin