No Hollywood Ending – Everybody’s Talking / 2007 Merovingian / 14 Tracks / http://www.merovingianmusic.com / http://www.nomilkrecords.com /
No Hollywood Ending starts their “Everybody’s Talking†with a very orchestral sound. The disc’s cover looks nothing like the heavy, earlier style of metal that the band plays. Despite the earlier metal (Iron Maiden, Emperor) that the band seems most influenced by, the act comes out on a track like “ATM†like a Cradle of Filth or slightly heavier Avenged Sevenfold. The harmony provided by the vocals acts in opposition to the rough-hewn instrumentation. Something that is common to both segments of No Hollywood Ending’s music on “Everybody’s Talking†is the solid arrangements that each enter into. The band may be providing listeners with hard and brutal music, but that does not mean that they will goofy when it comes to arranging their track.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of No Hollywood Ending’s work on this album has to be their ability to rapidly change up their general sound on a dime. “Hot Without A Heartbeat (Part I)†is the track that does just that, with the band changing overall sound and bundles of influences every few seconds for the entirety of the track’s three minutes. The band can even throw a radio-ready track into the mix without throwing off the momentum and flow on the album. During “Sixteen Timesâ€, the harmonies originally created by the vocals takes the primary focus, while the instrumentation lightens up to act as a highlighter more than as an opponent. The differing styles approached by the band and the numerous layers that are present through all tracks on “Everybody’s Talking†make this album feel like a four or five hour opus. The band simply throws so much material into any one of their tracks on this album that individuals will feel full before the fourth or fifth track finishes up.
The band goes back to the classical metal influences that coloured “ATM†with “Here We Go. The unity of styles, of metal, emo, hardcore, and rock music, is something that is attepted by a number of bands. Few bands get to the level of a No Hollywood Ending though, and “Everybody’s Talking†should be the album that will break the band big in the months to come. Keep checking No Hollywood Ending out, and chances will be good that they will get some Headbanger’s Ball play in the near future. Go to your local store and pick it up, or if they don’t have it order it.
Top Tracks: Here We Go, But I’m Not
Rating: 7.1/10