Fire - Had to let this one grow on me. Initially didn't like it too much, I found the way it was structured kinda weird. But again, it grew on me. I agree the keyboard is mixed pretty loudly...but that honestly doesn't bother me too much. Chester's scream during "On the other side" sells it for me. Solid song, good start to the album. Loving the harmonies, gives you a good taste of things to come.
7/10
Crawl Back In - I think releasing this as the first single was a genius move. It really does just scream "single". I loved this track the first time I heard it. Good, catchy, straight up rock song. Something you can bang your head to and have fun with. Guitar solo is a bit disappointing, it could have been better. Overall though, definitely one of my favorites, even if it does sound mainstream. Absolutely love the "Hey!" that ends it.
8/10
Too Late - Interesting intro. Chorus is easy enough to pick up on and sing along to. I can't really say anything bad about this track, but I can't really say anything that special about it either. I do like the way it flows. I'm sure it stands out for some people, but I'd just say it's a decent ballad. It will probably grow on me.
5/10
Inside of Me - Immediately gets you going. Pretty impressive screams by Chester. This is another fun song, like Crawl Back In, except even more so. Bridge is a blast to rock out to. Lyrics don't impress me too much, but the sound makes up for that. Song is way too short though.
6/10
Let Down - One of the tracks I've been waiting to hear. I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed. I love the lyrics, the flow, everything. I find it to be a beautiful song. The electronic elements fill in the gap that was missing from the acoustic performance, which I also loved. The harmony and added "I don't wanna be let down!" added to the chorus really stands out to me. Definitely one of my favorites.
9/10
Give Me Your Name - Veeeeeery different feel than anything I have ever heard from Chester, whether in LP or in the rest of the album. Nice lyrics, very lovey dovey, but it works well for this song. Can't tell if that's his falsetto or head voice in the chorus, either way it sounds spectacular. Works perfectly for the song. Like all the ballads on the album, I love the way the song flows. It just kinda makes you sit back and go "yeah...this is nice." Something that caught my attention is in the last chorus how he goes back into full voice, I really liked that.
7/10
My Suffering - I know I'm gonna be one of the only people that agrees with this, but I like this version much better than the original 08 demo. I love the way the verses are sung. Yet again, another song to rock out to, so that can be a plus or a minus, depends on you. Nice screaming in the chorus, I love it. Only negative thing I can say is it's a tad bit short, and the echo thing in the verses is way too much like Inside of Me.
7/10
Condemned - I gotta say, I love this song. It hooked me the second it started. Chester's completely nails the singing styling that this song calls for. Very dark lyrics, which works. Reminds of a band that I can't quite put my finger on, I want to say Disturbed but I know that's not it. I love the guitar work in this song just as much as I love Chester's growling throughout it. Nice eerie, creepy, evil feel. And damn! I knew Chester could scream, but the ones that he's letting loose on this track completely blew me away.
8/10
Into You - Gotta say it again, the flow and overall simple sound of this ballad sell it for me. I really can't say much about the song, I love the way it picks up halfway through. Good lyrics as well. I'm positive the ballads will grow on me. It just takes me a few listens.
8/10
End of the World - One of my favorites. Love the sound. Like Give Me Your Name, it has a completely different feel than from the rest of the album, and from LP. I really, really like this style. The lyrics are pretty awesome as well. Can't tell if that's a keyboard or not after the second verse, but whatever it is, it makes me smile every time. Sounds amazing. This song, in my opinion, really shows how Chester ventured and experimented on this album, and touched on themes and styles that he really liked. Not gonna complain on the vocal layering on this song, I think it works.
10/10
Walking In Circles - My new favorite song. Period. Holy crap. This track is just so incredibly epic. The intro gives off a sort of creepy vibe. Drums are great, the highlight of the instruments on the track. Chester completely kicks ass with this song, the lyrics, the feel, the rawness, everything. The chorus is just fantastic, if not perfect. The harmonies give me chills every single time I listen to them. I can't even explain the feeling that shot through me the first time I gave this song a listen. Damn. Props to Chester and the guys in Julien-K for this masterpiece.
11/10
In the Darkness - Wasn't too impressed the first time I listened to the live acoustic version. Sounded odd to me. However, I'm loving the studio version, despite the funny sounding humming or beat-boxing or whatever it is. Seriously, what's up with that? Thought the chorus was repeated too much, but listening a couple more times, I think it works. Very unique song in it's own right, and a nice choice to end the album with. Lyrics stand out on this track. Has that "sexy" feel that he described, which is good and different. I can see this (again) and Give Me Your Name being performed acoustically in the near future. Great track.
8/10
Morning After - I love this song. The acoustic version from 2001 that is. I don't mind this version or the Julien-K remix, I love both. It's just that the remix sounds TOO Julien-K for me, and the studio version isn't different at all. I would give this a 9/10 if it stuck closer to the original acoustic version. Ah well, great, catchy song. Love what it's about. Kinda glad it's a bonus track, it doesn't seem to fit in with the other songs.
7/10
Now I'm not gonna lie, I'm a Chester fanatic. I think the whole album is OMG AMAZING THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD. I'll be listening to it nonstop for awhile. My review here is just from an overall music lover standpoint. Great album Chester, fantastic work. Fort Minor does win though in my opinion, but Dead By Sunrise is definitely more my style.
