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A Skylit Drive- 'Identity On Fire'

A Skylit Drive have unleashed their third album, 'Identity On Fire'. They are a band with the right name, the right fringes and the right rhythm to take you on something of an indulgent odyssey of emo. That's right, emo. It ain't gone anywhere. There's still many a vulnerability-tinged vocal and infectious melody to be had, but on this occasion the genre has come rocking over with his mate, post-hardcore. He's a bit beefier you see, so you can expect an addition of pummelling drum beats and heavier breakdowns. Like both Neighbours and Kenco, A Skylit Drive seem to have found the perfect blend.

When 'XO Skeleton' dances it's way into your ears the bit of your brain that makes you bounce your head from side to side is given a friendly prod. Yes, the spot Hawthorne Heights and Silverstein used to hit with the lustiness of an emo lothario is to get thoroughly stimulated by 'Identity On Fire'. If you feel like that strain of guitar teasing has had it's day then maybe you should bypass this album. However, if it's something that tickles that fancy of yours, by the time you get to the anthemic 'Conscience Is A Killer' you will be hooked. What we're looking at is a rougher take on the singalong qualities in 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge' era My Chemical Romance, spliced with the heavier metalcore elements you might see from the likes of The Devil Wears Prada. Add some tinkering in the odd bit of Enter Shikari-like synth and a soft focus courtesy of a Circa Survive style vocal, and we may have completed our ASD collage.

It's on the more melodic tracks that A Skylit Drive shine. 'Ex Marks The Spot' perfectly balances that shuddering heavy thump of hardcore with a harmony-laden chorus; and 'Your Mistake' quite competently takes on the old school hard rock edge that Avenged Sevenfold so confidently demonstrate. 'Fuck The System' would certainly have the capability to raise voices at a live show, although it's sentiment may not change the world as the band might have hoped at the song's conception. Here possibly lies the bottom line when it comes to 'Identity on Fire'. It's not going to shake your world like a snow globe in the hand of an over zealous child. It will however, more than likely provide a pleasant little addition to your day much like a candy floss at the fair might. Unless you're diabetic. In which case, let's plump for a goldfish-winning analogy or something.

Melodic highlights, anthems in the making, A Skylit Drive have plenty to feel accomplished about in this album.