Kingston Falls is an Indianapolis band that incorporates elements of death metal, pop-punk and FM rock into their hardcore based approach. While they are far from the first outfit to fuse these flavors together, KF do benefit from a strong vocal presence in the form of Nathan Lambright Dale. His screechy death screams pack punch but his clearer, melodic voice is the real surprise here. On tracks like “The Great Divide,” harsh screams make way for sugary, yet assertive vocal melodies. I found myself wishing they would ease up on the abrasive vocals and let Dale‘s poppier tendencies work their magic more. Producer Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Gwen Stacy) does a fine job of tempering the heavy guitar tones enough to make room for the hooks found throughout the album. He also lends the mix enough of a “live feel” which is often missing on these kinds of records.

What Armada On Mercury does lack is enough of an original songwriting voice. There are plenty of promising moments through the disc but nothing truly stands out as memorable. All the ingredients are there. The powerful front-man, the dueling guitars and a more-than-competent rhythm section, but they don’t have the quality of songs that bands like Funeral For A Friend or Thrice had early on. Tracks like “Sand Castle Karma” hint at what this unit can do but it ultimately falls a little short. I’m not counting Kingston Falls out but they need to really hone in on the songwriting for them to make a meaningful impact.

Rating: 6.5/10
Label: Facedown Records
Website: www.myspace.com/kingstonfalls

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