10 YEARS | Violent Allies | Album Review

Most bands that became big in the early to mid 2000s and slowly decreased in popularity would have called it a day by now, but that isn't the fate handed towards the Knoxville based 10 Years. After their big break in 2005 with "Wasteland" and throughout the years, they've gained a steady following all the while having their heads in the right place and releasing solid music to their fanbase. Their longevity has now increased through their ninth album overall, "Violent Allies". The title of the project has a dual meaning to the band. One definition alludes to the band's perseverance to make a meaningful album. The other is a reference to the social and political issues rampant in modern society which have become extremely prominent throughout 2020 as a whole. When looking at the recording process of "Violent Allies", there is a lot of information to take in. Howard Benson, who had worked with the band on "Feeding The Wolves", was tapped to handle production duties again under the pretense of reaching a much stronger potential due to label and band issues. When the band gave Benson the material they wrote, the producer cut three quarters of it and forced them to write new songs on the spot, all of which were intended to have significance. Going further into the "Violent Allies" sessions, vocalist Jesse Hasek had this to say "We don’t ever try to recreate what we’ve done in the past. We knew we had to challenge ourselves to see what we had in us. If it’s not stressful, you’re not challenging yourself to grow. From the beginning, music has always been therapy and an outlet. We let ourselves enjoy the process, be vulnerable, and talk about those emotions. We got back to why we love music with the maturity of where we’re at in our lives. We were able to harness that love of creating from a wiser and more developed perspective.” On the intent level, all of this sounds promising, and for a band who has stuck out to me as an underrated name in modern hard rock for years, gives me more faith in the genre as a lot of bands nowadays don't try to put in the effort and rely on a formula. 10 Years is a band that has tried and hit the mark before with several great albums, so let's take a look at this album and see if they reached that potential once again.

The first two pre-released singles, "The Shift" and "The Unknown", are grooved together as the first and second track on the album, meanwhile after the deep cut "Waiting" comes the third single "Deja Vu". "The Shift" is the true leadoff single and was released four months prior to the release date and two months before the second single and announcement of the album. This song is slightly over the three-minute mark and it really shows the band putting their best feet forward with Howard Benson at the production helm. Benson has become synonymous with hook-centered hard rock, and "The Shift" showcases that to the best element possible I think. It's the perfect mixture of heaviness and radio friendly and it works as an introduction to the rest of the album. Interestingly, people initially thought this song was an allusion to COVID-19 due to lyrics about the world being a virus without a remedy, but the song was written before the outbreak happened. "The Unknown" is a more upbeat and ballad-like cut, and although I'd rather listen to "The Shift", I still like it for what it is. The second half of this song is more appealing to me than the first half, as there is a brief section with trap percussion in the background, but it's nothing that deters me from this track as a whole. It's a catchy song, just like the track previous, though I will say I would've liked this song to be placed in the middle of the album as opposed to it directly following "The Shift". It just makes more logical sense in my opinion. "Waiting" is a standard hard rock track that makes good use of Hasek's vocals alongside Benson's clear production style. "Deja Vu" is an opportunity for the band to let out more aggression, and it's probably the most tenacious song on the album. And everything about it works well. "Deja Vu" adds a lot of variety to this record with Hasek going into a screamed vocal delivery throughout and it sounds great. The hooks are infectious, and overall it's a fun track that will satisfy fans looking for more of a rougher sound from 10 Years.

"Without You" and "Cut The Cord" continue what the first four tracks established. There are effective hooks in both songs, and it feels like 10 Years put some effort into these two songs. "Cut The Cord" especially is a more energy driven track much like "Deja Vu" but there are at least moments where things calm down a little bit before being thrown right back into the kinesis. Though everything we've heard so far on "Violent Allies" is great, especially tracks like "The Shift", "Deja Vu", and "Cut The Cord", I can't necessarily say that I was blown away by any of these songs. All of them deliver, some more than others, but none of them have me surprised or excited. That doesn't mean that they set a promising tone for the record, which they do. Following those first six tracks, we do go into a temporary lull with "Sleep In The Fire" and "I Wish". These tracks aren't bad necessarily, but they're nothing to write home about. Both of these tracks are solid on the musical front, with "I Wish" having a very strong hook in the chorus, but it feels like the writing devolves into being a bit cliché. Lines about how "all's fair in love and war" and "the ends justify the means" really don't do much and there really isn't much to love completely with these two songs. "Start Again" is a little bit better than the previous two tracks but once again it feels like it's identical to what we've already heard. There's nothing great or astounding with this song, but there's nothing truly bad, and the same could be said about "Sleep In The Fire" and "I Wish" as well. These aren't Trapt levels of bad because at least 10 Years actually put in some effort in the music and the performances, but I don't think this three-song stretch will be one I consistently come back to after my first listen.

It should be worth noting that there are two instrumentals placed in the middle and near the end of the album, "Planets III" and "Planets IV". I don't feel like either of these adds anything to the album necessarily. I like instrumental tracks that segue well in between songs, and while both of these do have some nice ethereal guitarwork that showcases some talent, I would've loved for 10 Years to find a way to make these pieces transition into their subsequent tracks a bit more consistently. That includes the closing track "Say Goodbye", which does elevate the quality a bit as it's more sentimental on the lyrical side, revolving around how someone has passed and they still live on. A very emotive closer, but not as emotional as intended. "Violent Allies" was advertised as an album with a lot of meaning and importance put into it. Listening to this album in full, I can see that the effort is placed within, but I do have to say that not everything is top notch as there are some cuts that don't resonate quite as well as others. However, I give 10 Years credit for making a consistent project that offers some well-established hooks as well as performances and writing that are solid. Is this the best album 10 Years has made? No. Is this a testament of 10 Years' longevity and something worth hearing? Absolutely. Overall, "Violent Allies" is a consistent and hook-centric rock album that's perfect for fans of mainstream rock but don't want to hear the same song from a reliable band for the thousandth time. If you want something similar to what the rock scene usually pushes, but often times contains more substance, look no further than this as your ally.

RATING: 7/10

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