IWRESTLEDABEARONCE – Late For Nothing

Replacing a forming member and vocalist in any band is never an easy task, but to have to replace once during the 2012 Warped Tour seemed an even harder task. One which the remaining members of IWABO were able to complete with some efficiency, managing to find a stand in to complete the remaining dates on the tour.

With a new energy and creative force in vocalist Courtney LaPlante the band couldn’t wait to get into the studio and record their third full length album ‘Late For Nothing’ which was released in Europe on August 12^th 2013 through Century Media.

Opening track ‘Thunder Chunky’ begins with a gentle drum-loop sequence that in no way prepares you for what you will hear over the album’s 38minute length. Now I’m not one for genre labels but if I like a sound I’ll listen to it. Having said that, from past experiences I haven’t enjoyed much of anything that I’ve heard with the ‘metalcore’ tag attached to it. But this is different, for all its zany-ness and almost comedic song title choice, this seems more honed and mature, truth be told I’m not sure it really fits into that genre at all.

I am however sure that this is loud, fast and in your face when it has to be, but melodic and thoughtful at times too. Laplante’s vocals contributing in large parts to that thoughtfulness and at times almost sounds haunting especially on songs such as ‘Boat Paddle’ and ‘Mind The Gap‘.

Slightly obscure rhythm changes pepper this record. It shouldn’t really work but on the whole it just helps to keep the listener interested and finding different nuances on each repeat listen. One of my particular favorites is ‘Carnage Asada’ which features some particularly chaotic sounding guitar work and beat breakdowns which go from straight on double-kick metal into fusion style metal jazz (if that even is a real thing?). This song seems to combine all that is good about this band and also features some guest guitar work from a certain Mr. Steve Vai.

All in all I found ‘Late for Nothing’ a highly enjoyable listen, yes it has the screaming vocals and beat breakdowns, that are synonymous with the ‘whatever -core’ genres, but they’re done in such a way that it never gets boring. The guitar work is masterful & brutally heavy in places, even when it sounds chaotic, but combining this with LaPlantes vocal melodies goes a long way to making IWABO stand out from the pack. 

Rating:  7/10

Track Listing: 

1.  Thunder Chunky
2. Letters To Stallone
3. Snake Charmer
4. Boat Paddle
5. Firebees
6. Mind The Gap
7. Carnage Asada
8. The Map
9. That’s A Horse Of A Different Color
10. I’d Buy That For A Dollar
11. Inside Job
12. It Don’t Make Me No Nevermind

Band Lineup:

Courtney LaPlante – Vocals

Steven Bradley – Guitar/Programming

John Ganey – Guitar/Programming

Mike Montgomery – Bass

Mike ‘Rickshaw’ Martin – Drums

Band Links:

http://iwrestledabearonce.com

https://www.facebook.com/iwrestledabearonce

https://twitter.com/iwabo