One look at the dapper, suited lads of A Day To Remember, and the first impression is that they are either a British pop band or an American emo group. Well, after making your way through For Those Who Have Heart, their style is more like modern metal/core with a healthy dose of emo sugarcoating. At times very reminiscent of some of the other bands on the Victory Records label like Hawthorne Heights and Silverstein, you can also hear bits of Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, and Linkin Park in their delivery, which combines thick & crunchy metal riffs, hardcore breakdowns, relentless drum work, brutal growls, and clean pop/punk vocals. When A Day To Remember get down to some heavy metal/core, like on "The Danger in Starting a Fire" and "Shot In the Dark", things work out just fine, as these guys throw their school-boy appearance out the window and can bash with the best of them. However, on syrupy emo-pop tunes like "The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle" , The Price We Pay", and "Monument", despite some catchy melodies, the band sounds like every other band you have ever heard play this style. For my money, it's a song like "Colder Than My Heart, If Your Can Imagine" that redeems all the generic aspects of For Those Who Have Heart, as this song contains some inventive and intricate metal riffs, some moshy sections, and strong lead vocals with plenty of anthemic hooks. Overall the CD is a mixed bag, and despite some catchy melodies and tasty guitarwork, most of what you will hear on this release has been done before.
Track Listing
1. Fast Forward To 2012
2. Speak of the Devil
3. The Danger in Starting a Fire
4. The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle
5. Monument
6. The Price We Pay
7. Colder Than My Heart, If Your Can Imagine
8. Show 'Em the Ropes
9. A Shot In the Dark
10. Here's to the Past
11. I Heard It's the Softest Thing Ever
12. Start the Shooting