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Name: Madina Lake - World War III
Record Label: Razor & Tie
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Rating: 4.8/5
Review written by: Winfield Dean |
The men of Madina Lake have created, to put it simply, a masterpiece with their new album World War III. World War III seems to be the bands way of addressing the tragedy of June 2010, when Matthew Leone [bassist] was injured while stopping a domestic dispute. World War III addresses both the good and evil in this world.
World War III starts off with a bang. “Howdy Neighbor!” seems to about the man that injured Matthew. Nathan Leone, Matthew’s twin brother, sings the powerful lyrics through his teeth, which shows that the band is moving on, but still holds great animosity towards this man. This song is the perfect song to start the album with because it addresses the evil in the world and they’re taking it on with everything they have. It sets up the listener for the battles and emotions in the album.
The next track on the album is “Imagineer”. “Imagineer” continues with a heavy rock sound and is about being true to yourself and loving life as much as you can. My favorite line in this song is “I’m not like them, I’m more like me instead”. This song is about having found yourself and not listening to the negative things that people say about you.
“They’re Coming for Me”, the third track on the album, is about a battle going on inside of one person and not knowing who to turn to. It’s about not wanting to let your family down because they’re proud of where you are. The line “I’m fighting everyday for you” makes it seem that this is a personal song about one of the band members addressing some of the challenges they have been through this past year.
When listening to the fourth track, “Hey Superstar”, you’ll find yourself tapping your foot to the beat during the verses and wanting to dance during the chorus. This song is about someone who has obviously been thrown into the media and has become full of themselves, chasing the perfect look and letting the attention of fans and media get taken too far. “Hey Superstar” is a great lead in musically to the fifth track “Fireworks”, which is about spending the night alone with a girl. It’s got a great sound musically, however I don’t think it’s the strongest song lyrically on the album.
The sixth track, “Across 5 Oceans” is about moving on from a relationship. It seems to a have a “Romeo and Juliet” theme of star-crossed lovers who “cross 5 oceans” to get to each other and now it’s over. When listening to this song you really want to sing along as loudly as you can, as it’s one of the more relatable songs on the album.
“We Got This”, track seven, is obviously a song between Matthew and Nathan. This is one of the most sentimental songs on the album. It’s about Nathans reaction to what happened to Matthew in June 2010 and Matthew letting him know that it’s okay and they’ve got this under control. The line “there’s no me without us” shows how strong the bond is between the brothers.
Next on the album is “What It Is To Wonder”, which goes back to a harder rock sound like the way the album started off. “What It Is To Wonder” addressing how you’ll never know some things, not everything makes sense, and you’ll always have to wonder.
Track nine, “Heroine” has an irresistible beat and catchy lyrics. You find yourself wanting to sing along to the chorus before you even know the words. It’s about having it all and making sure you keep track of who you are, or it can all get taken away. Track ten, “Blood Red Flags” quickly changes the upbeat pace of “Heroine” to a heavier sound. “Blood Red Flags” is about a relationship. The chorus states “Honesty is for liars…truth needs no explaining”. It’s about being in a relationship where one person is already showing “red flags” or signs that it isn’t going to work.
“Take Me or Leave”, the eleventh track, is about not taking judgment from others anymore and being the judge of yourself. People judge out of insecurities and jealousy and you can always find problems in everyone, no matter how popular or perfect you think they are.
The last song on the album, “The Great Divide” is the perfect song to end the album with. This song is about feeling completely along and wishing you could change. The opening verse discusses wishing to have someone to talk to who would understand what he’s been through. It’s about being separated from the one person you feel you can tell anything too and needing to have it back.
Overall, World War III will take you on a rollercoaster ride of melodies and expose you to multiple sides of this band. They open themselves up to address the most tragic things that have happened to them and how they are picking themselves up and moving on. These songs portray battles of inner demons and external challenges that can be astonishing and relatable at the same time. |
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| Facebook Comments: Keep 'em clean folks! |
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