Scars Of Tomorrow

The Failure In Drowning

[4/5] On the surface, Scars Of Tomorrow’s The Failure In Drowning has all the makings of your standard grunt-sing, breakdown-a-minute modern metalcore record; at times, Scars sound like a slew of similar groups (labelmates and buds Atreyu come to mind). What makes Scars’ fifth record so punishingly delightful, though, is not some new direction or stylistic innovation, but rather just how well the band execute their vision. Sure, Failure assaults you with chug-a-lug riffs aplenty, as you’d expect, but it’s the pummeling guitar tones and ratchet-tight attack that elevate the tracks well above mere pit fodder (see “The Unwinding”). Then there’s vocalist Mike Milford, who has the rare ability to summon forth a rumbling, guttural growth straight from Hades, yet still delivers the lyrics with remarkable-dare I say, intelligible-clarity. There may not be many surprises on Failure, but sometimes, simply kicking ass is more than enough. (VICTORY) Brendan Manley