Ignite - Our Darkest Days (2006)
Niche: Melodic Hardcore, Punk Rock
Location: Orange County, CA, USA
First impressions: "Oh, no. Not
this melodic hardcore. Not soaring/overly dramatic Freddie Mercury vocals and tough guy Orange County schtick."
But what followed definitely surprised me... looking past the initial blast of cheese, the dude's vocals are actually really cool. This isn't quite up to standard and doesn't reach such heights as my favorite Melocore album, Potemkin City Limits (though it does recall it at times), but it's an enjoyable release in itself. The U2 cover also caught me by surprise, as I was reading stuff about that song earlier today. It also kicks ass.
Not a perfect album, but one that I enjoy very much.
8/10