Another second hand record shop pick up, Beauty to Ashes was completely
unknown to me at the time. I figured it had to be some kind of hardcore, given
it was on Pluto records, but there was only one way to find out. This is indeed
early 00's; melodic riffs, angry shouts and clean vocals used to create catchy
shifts in the narrative. However, unlike the bands that were making it big at
the time (i.e.Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and All That Remains)
"Reproduce the Common Practice" failed to make much of a lasting impression.
The music is formulaic; not horrible, but not fantastic. Just bland. The vocals
are your cookie cutter dime a dozen variety, both harsh and cleans while the
drums really fail to make any impact other than just being there. All in all,
this was your typical, hop on the bandwagon and hope to catch the attention of
the hordes of fans at the time. Given the overall sound and this being their
only release, you can imagine how the plan worked out. I'll give credit for the effort, but nothing to show in terms of originality or skill. There's one or two
decent songs on the album, if you’re a true hardcore/metalcore fan, but other
than that, nothing worth checking out when there are dozens of other albums
that have done it better.
Highlights: "Bystandards Of Lifestyle Obsession"
"Candy Apple Smile"
Rating: 1.5
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