The First Singles of 2013 Are In!

       Now that the end of the world has passed, in all of its 'not really' glory, what promises to be a big-name release year for numerous bands has officially begun. August Burns Red are, predictably, back in the studio, as are the Dillinger Escape Plan. Hatebreed and Asking Alexandria (God I never thought I'd say those two at the same time) both have releases slated for January. But this past week, we've had two big-name bands release singles - both are departures from previous styles, and both are awesome.

       Firstly, Florida's pop-punk A Day to Remember released their new single from the upcoming album Common Courtesy. The new single, 'Violence [Enough is Enough]' is a departure from the pop-studded fields of 2010's What Separates Me From You, and a return to the sick, pulse-pounding fury and energy of Homesick and For Those Who Have Heart - complete with a massive breakdown at the end and a catchy riff all throughout - this is ADTR as we'd hoped they'd change. All bets are out on whether or not this new style will persist for the rest of Common Courtesy, but I really do have to say that 'Violence' is one of their heaviest songs ever; yes, I'd put it up there with 'Mr. Highway' from Homesick. To summarize, 'Violence' is a ridiculous song. Listen to it here.

      Secondly, We Came as Romans released a new single entitled 'Let These Words Last Forever'. Interestingly enough, the band has kept quiet about a new album - this single fell out of the sky as far as anyone was concerned. Like 'Violence', this is without a doubt a scene song. The melodic instrumentals, the high-pitched vocals, everything screams scenefolk louder than Warped Tour. And, while I do like this song, I feel like 'Words' is a step down from 2011's Understanding What We've Grown to Be. Laudably, clean vocalist Kyle Pavone's voice has never sounded better - there's almost no autotune present during the song, making listening to it a new experience as the band is as organic as they've ever been. On the other hand, while the song features WCAR's penchant for uplifting lyrics, they're almost cliche in their positivity this time. Previous songs had some sort of motif - 'Words' is pure 'be happy'! And while I do like the instrumentals, the drop in lyrical quality isn't the nicest change I can see. You can listen to 'Let These Words Last Forever' here.