Tattooed on your chest, I.S.S.U.E.S.

So, Issues' self entitled album dropped on iTunes last night and was released in stores today (Feb. 18th). I pre-ordered it sometime in January and have been highly anticipating it ever since. I discovered Issues after a disagreement in the band Woe, Is Me where both of the headmen, Tyler Carter (who does clean vocals), and Michael Bohn (who does unclean vocals), called it quits and left. Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn have been best friends since their first band A Path Less Traveled which didn't work out so well, formed Woe, Is Me which also didn't work out so well, and created their own band together.

Thus, Issues was born!

I loved Woe, Is Me with a passion, and when I found out that Michael Bohn and Tyler Carter left to form their own band, I had to leave with them. Safe to say, I am not disappointed at all at what Issues has became and continues to become as I listen to their music. With Ty "Scout" Acord on the turntables as their DJ, AJ Rebollo as their amazing guitarist, Sky Acord as their fantastic bassist, and Josh Manuel as their drummer, they give a whole new meaning and feeling to their subgenre, and it's something that NO ONE was expecting. And that's the beauty of it.

Anyway, on to what I have to say about the self entitled album.

The album starts out very eerie with their song Sad Ghost. It definitely sounds like something that belongs in a horror film when you're traveling through the woods, a full moon high in the sky with scattered, gray clouds moving slowly passed it at first. All of a sudden, there's a build up with some awesome electronic sounds in the background. Then, Michael's voice comes full force, enough to take you off your feet. As you arrive at the chorus, you hear the sweet melodies of Tyler's amazing voice along with some kick ass scratching from Scout. It's a very different song and a very interesting way to begin the album.

The third song on the album is probably one of my favorite songs. Like Sad Ghost, it starts with a strange electronic song, but suddenly again, you hear the impact of Michael's screams for the first verse. As you get about 25 seconds in, Tyler starts to rap. Yes, RAP. It's amazing! It shows more talent in Tyler than just his flashy voice that everyone knows (and sometimes hates) so well. Scout also incorporates some more scratching and voice inserts to transition into the next verse. AJ's and Sky's guitars fuse really well in this song, definitely letting the bass get a chance to shine, which is often looked over.

Old Dena is the sixth song on the album, which gives Scout a lot of room to shine and flaunt his amazing DJ-ing abilities. It's only a minute and a half long, but it's an incredible short listen. It transitions very smoothly into the next song, Stingray Affliction which they released a long time before the album.

Stingray Affliction and Never Lose Your Flames are note-worthy songs on this album, not only because they were the first songs released to the public, but they have lyrics that you can truly relate to. In Stingray Affliction, the first and second verse speak about a "tough guy" who thinks he's the shit, and then the chorus goes into the victim's mind saying,

"No, I don't wanna be tough! I wanna make sure they can see me cry, sure enough. Don't wanna bottle this up, the way you make me feel when you're around."

Never Lose Your Flames is literally the anthem of this album. There's so much positivity in the lyrics, and you can tell that it comes right from how the band feels or has felt before. It's not the same reading the lyrics, it's definitely something you need to hear because Tyler and Michael place so much heart into it. These lyrics from the chorus get me every time:

"If you got the keys then start the car and drive as far as you can. If you got the blood then you got the heart to give yourself a chance."

ANYWAY...

I could go on and on about how fantastic this album because it really is, but I need to stop myself right now before I hurt myself and I'm pretty sure you guys don't care about my obsessions anyway. BASICALLY BUY THIS ALBUM IF YOU'RE INTO THIS TYPE OF MUSIC BECAUSE IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH THE 10 BUCKS I PROMISE.