Despite frontman
Michael Crafter's stints in
Carpathian,
Bury Your Dead, and most notably,
I Killed the Prom Queen, Melbourne five-piece
Confession have struggled to shake off their second-rate
Parkway Drive label since bursting onto the thriving Australian metalcore scene in 2008. Produced by legendary Swedish death metal producer
Fredrik Nördstrom (
Bring Me the Horizon,
In Flames), their second album,
The Long Way Home, suggests they're not too concerned with the constant comparisons. Indeed, having toured with the acclaimed Byron Bay outfit, used their Parkway House studio to write most of their material, and explicitly referenced the opening track of their 2005 debut
Killing with a Smile on "Gimme A.D.D.," the band appear to be actively encouraging them. It's just as well, as there's not much getting away from the fact that most of its 11 tracks share a similar, demonic Wall of Noise, whether it's the rousing gang mentality chants of "Nearly 30," the aggressive emo-metal of "Confused/Hopeless," or the propulsive title track.
Dan Brown's cleaner vocals and melodic
blink-182-esque melodies provide a welcome counterbalance to
Crafter's relentless, demonic grunts, while there are flashes of invention, as with the stuttering, industrial riffs and dubstep breakdown on "I Created This Horror," and the brutal, pop-punk of "Piece by Piece." But even though most of the tracks barely make it past the three-minute mark, the constant barrage of towering, thunderous riffs, punchy, frenetic rhythms, and defiant, angsty lyrics quickly becomes utterly tiresome, with only the ominous, synth-led "Intro" and the surprisingly jangly "Heartless" providing any true respite.
The Long Way Home will no doubt consolidate
Confession's second-tier status back in their homeland, but there's little to encourage audiences elsewhere to investigate.