Cursed Sails

Rotten Society

With ex-members of Woe, Is Me and Issues (bassist Cory and keyboardist/vocalist Ben Ferris) and mammoth metalcore production, Cursed Sails have arrived. They swapped the remixes and clean pop plastic of their Woe past for a violent, gloomy debut. “Dead Daze” is a battering ram, chugging harder than your average college freshman, but it’s not invincible for long. Rotten Society lacks longevity: For every confirmed kill (“Gasoline,” “Like A Chemical”), there’s a run-of-the-mill response (“21”), disastrous ballad (“The Great Gold Rush”) or lukewarm single (“Thunderbird”). The Sails would catch more wind if their choruses didn’t fall flat: In “Amazing Grace,” Ferris half-yells, half-screams, “Amazing grace/How sweet the sound,” desperate for a nü-metal melody. Stick to what you know—like that hearty “Goddamn!” before the breakdown.

Velocity/Rise http://www.velocityrecords.com

“Gasoline”