The Dead Rabbitts - Shapeshifter (2014) (Review)

Introduction

The Dead Rabbitts are a side-project band of Escape the Fate's lead vocalist, Craig Mabbitt, and rhythm guitar, TJ Bell. They came with an EP, Edge Of Reality (2012), and now, they'll release their brand new LP, Shapeshifter.
If you're an ETF fan, I bet you'll love this album, but it's heavier than ETF. So now, we can start the review !

Review

Vocals

It's catchy, lyrics are really well written, what we can ask more ? This album is to me, an experimental one for Craig. It gives you originality, sick screams, special vocals, catchy chorus. "I'm not your enemy, when will you say to me", some catchy lines like that give a hell up to this album. Or an intro "I gonna die here" that reminds us Attack Attack!'s last album, "The Air I Breathe Is You".

2:50 of "Deer In The Headlights" is a great part, for this ambient sing. It's like you can hear Craig puts all his soul in this album, and even if I loved ETF's last album, I think he put all he have in "Shapeshifter".

It's pretty cool to hear Craig scream. His potential is maybe, now more than ever before, show in this album. 2:02 "Ghosts in My Beadroom", is a cool breakdown, to hear his screams.

"Shapeshifter" sums up all of this, and shows how great he can be. Listen to the whole album, at least 2 times. And I bet you'll have one of all these choruses in your head.

Instrumental

Sick intros "Edge of Reality", "The Air I Breathe Is You", well produced, sick breakdowns... So, yeah, instrumental is really a good point in this album. But it's pretty inequal. In some songs, there's awesome riffs, like "Edge Of Reality" and "Bats In The Belfry" (completly outstanding), but some songs are pretty basic, "Keep Tellin Yourself You Were Right", and "Bats In The Belfry" and "Ghosts in My Beadroom" intros sound the same.

It's great, I can hide it, and I enjoyed the whole album, but some songs are really far better than some others. It's my point of view, my opinion, and how I felt about this.

Breakdowns are pretty basic but really enjoyable. some of them are better than others, that's why I'd say it's inequal, but globally, it's great.

My favorite, for the instrumental, is "Shapeshifter", sweet outro, bridge, and chorus. Hear this chorus, and listen carefully to the main riff.

 

Vocals : 9/10
Instrumental : 8.5/10
Lyrics : 8.5/10
General : 9/10

+ If you love Craig Mabbitts, you'll hear, now more than ever before, his range
+ Powerful riffs
+ Sick breakdowns
+ Some "ambient" parts
+ Not abuse the basic structure of a music

- Inequal

For Fans Of : Escape The Fate, Blessthefall, Hearts&Hands, The Word Alive