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{ True Madness Magazine }
Music Reviews
Acceptance, Black Lines to Battlefields
The Militia Group, 2003
By James Eddy
I’m going to admit something right up front so I don’t have to beat around the bush: I don’t think Acceptance is a band that I’m going to command all my friends to listen to immediately. It’s not that there bad; they are actually one of the more honest and upfront bands I’ve heard in a while. While most bands think that playing it loud will help keep everyone from noticing the clichés that plague their catalogue of tunes, such pretension does not present it itself on the pleasant, though painfully short Black Lines To Battlefields (my hatred for EPs returns.) The problem? I’ve heard it before, and no offense guys, but I’ve heard it done better. In other words, you’re better than most, but nothing to write home about.
The thing about this release that makes it a solid middle of the road album is that while it is pleasant to the ear, it’s halfway expected. Lyrically, penman Jason Vena excels above most of his contemporaries, but again, Hemmingway he’s not. Some real jewels of lyrical masterwork are hidden in the lines of the “sleeper” single Permanent and the title track, which stands out above the rest as the king of the litter. Lines like “Stop signs/Like human apathy/Can cause a fatal crash,” allow the listener to see that while this band seems like it needs to grow a bit more into it’s skin, it’s far from being just another band with a vague, one-word name and moody cover art. The release also includes two live tracks (though albeit two brand new songs) to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Acceptance is not a studio wonder. If anything, that’s the thing that makes this band really shine more than anything else: these guys aren’t fake, which in and of itself is refreshing when everything sound recycled.
RATING: 3 out of 5
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