HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS - The Silence In Black and White LP

Label: Victory

Hawthorne Heights found instant success off one hit single, but this emo band’s impressive debut album shouldn’t be overlooked as a whole either.

With pensive guitar riffs, hushed clean vocals for melody and harsh unclean vocals for power, The Silence In Black And White is an incredibly thought-provoking and well-composed work, with enough emotion to make it endearing but also enough post-hardcore verve to please a more hardcore crowd.

Each song retains the steady and brooding tone of the album, even when slow guitar chugs and consistent drumming explode into blazing riffs and furious pounding.

Frontman JT Woodruff sets the mood with his light-sounding but solemn and often dramatic singing, while the Casey Calvert supplies the throaty and guttural howls that make Hawthorne Heights so well-balanced. The give and take of the vocalists, set to an ever-fluctuating tempo, creates dramatic tension and makes this emo debut such an enjoyable listen.