Inked In Blood. Upon hearing a band name like this, a few specific sounds come to mind. An assumption like that should be safe, because of the name and their genres being "Hardcore / Rock," right? You may be suprised (for the better)...

Jumping into the hardcore scene in 2005 with Lay Waste To The Poets, IIB released a fairly solid first effort, gaining attention from fans of the genre. It wasn't anything mind blowing or new, but it was well written and just fun to rock out to; not bad for a first attempt. Of course after hearing that, my expectations weren't all that high once I heard they were releasing a new record. Again, I was proven quite wrong. The good bands sound usually changes, and IIB is definitely a good band.

The band known so well for churning out nothing but hard hitting songs really took a step back and took a much better approach at hardcore. Sometimes We Are Beautiful (which is one of my favorite album titles) opens up with "Call To Arms"; opening in what sounds like any old IIB song... until a minute and twelve seconds in, when they actually start singing. The chorus is catchy and well put together (singing with screaming mixed in well), "Shouting the call to arms-your voice echoing. Now we can sing as one. This cannot be living." Great lyrics, very motivating, but not stereotypical in the least. The next noteworthy track is "Angel Of Lost Hopes," again making great use of the sing / scream chorus. This is a side of IIB that should've been shown long ago, because it really shows their musical talents better. Though it may be more melodic, it's still quite heavy and absolutely moshable. Best of both worlds here.

Things really change once "Alters" starts. It's the highlight of the album, in my opinion, but not because of how melodic it is. The lyrics fit the mood so well, which is essential for any song. With the riff at the end of the song making it, clearly, the best, it goes out in a very memorable fashion. Though the song is mostly sung, it's the best example of how this band has grown (for the much better). Everything just works together so well in this song. "Instrumental" has the potential to be so much more and had me thinking it would be, until it met its untimely end. Only clocking in at just over two minutes, they could've done so much more to make this a truly memorable track. As it is now, it's nothing more than an interlude.

"This Moment" again shows how well IIB's new style works. It mixes singing and screaming perfectly, with enough time to rock out to, but parts that are very reminiscent of bands like Further Seems Forever, with great guitar work carrying throughout the song. The melodic nature of the song is very welcome, with the breakdown in the middle being all too fitting. The last noteworthy track is the epic "Paradise Regained." I was very impressed with this one. It was very well put together, and has an almost "emocore" style to it. Don't let that (or the nine and a half minute running time of it) turn you away, because it's a strong contender for the second best of the album, with the ending being a must listen. While chanting the line "We have the hope of all hopes," a sense of peace fills you. It's an incredible way to end a great album.

So after reading all this, were my original assumptions right? Not at all. It's sad that a band like Inked In Blood broke up after releasing this album, because they were just starting to discover their own sound. Don't assume a band is bad because of what their labeled as, because I let this gem slip by me for way too long.