The Persevering Promise - An Illusion In Shambles
Having already made quite an impact on the other side of the Atlantic, Post-hardcore quartet The Persevering Promise is ready to give UK shores a taste of what they are capable of creating with the release of their debut album An Illusion In Shambles.
The album opens with the eeriness of It's Only The Beginning, a dark and yet mesmerising minute long musical introduction before thirty seconds of pounding and screaming. After this initial insight into the band, we really begin to see why The Persevering Promise has been so popular in the US.
We have all heard countless bands where one individual takes on a clean cut style to singing while the other belts out lyrics at the top of his lungs as if his life depended on it. Although some band's sound like carbon copies moulded to sound a specific way, this is not the case for The Persevering Promise. Vocally this is quite a remarkable album from the Idaho foursome. The two differing vocals each get their opportunity in the spot light singing verses and choruses (screams taking over on the musically inclined Etherality), but it is the way they are intertwined within each other and supported by the music created that makes them so distinct and stand apart from other acts creating a similar sound. Then there are the harmonies that add yet another level of depth, at times stirring midway between a sing/scream.
There are no better examples than And So Dies The Dreamer (Ft. Shawn Spann) and Colors. Not that each track isn't capable of standing out in its own right, these songs in particular stands out for the use of vocals. Add to this the outstanding guitar riffs, vibrant hooks and powerful drumming that has been created and you have hit after hit after hit (times 10) on your hands. As track after track engages your attention and leaves you stunned, there is an on-going dark, otherworldly feel that gets you hooked on wanting to delve into the world of The Persevering Promise much further and the further you get into the album, the more it grips your attention.
Consisting of ten outstanding tracks and featuring the guest vocals of Shawn Spann (I, The Breather), Chad Ruhlig (For The Fallen Dreams) on An Illusion In Shambles, and Ronnie Winter (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus) on A Reason To Believe, An Illusion In Shambles is an album not to be missed and only to be played loud!