I was excited to finally get to hear this album as Wholehearted has been on my radar for quite awhile. I first came across this band a long time ago as one of many, many bands that would add me on MySpace, most of which I would deny for being awful, but upon listening to the material Wholehearted had up at the time, I was really into them. It was a sound in the vein of bands like Comeback Kid, Killing The Dream, This Is Hell, etc., which I'm very into if you hadn't noticed.'Reclaim' is Wholehearted's debut full-length out on Volatile Recordings (out of their home in Wisconsin), and it is a great record espeically for such a young band.
Wholehearted isn't breaking down barriers with this record, but they're producing some awesome tracks. Wholehearted's sound is best described as somewhere between Killing The Dream and Dead Hearts. It's fast and melodic, but there are a lot of heavier parts and some nice sing a longs. 'Reclaim' starts fast and stays that way all the way until the last track for the most part and the album is solid the whole way through, no tracks fall out. It never gets boring, and when not doing anything really new, that's impressive.
If I had to nail down a particular criticism of the record, it would have to be the quality of the recording. I am not usually much of a person to critique sound, but I think that placed in the right hands this record could have been a whole lot more. The present recording is not bad, but it sounds flat and less dynamic than it potentially could. It's not unlistenable by any standard but it is somewhat noticable.
That minor gripe aside, Wholehearted is a great up and coming band and 'Reclaim' is an excellent stepping stone for them to gain a wider audience. If you're a fan of this style of music, I certaintly recommend this, and even if you're not, I think that there is something here for everyone.
Wholehearted on MySpace [purchase 'Reclaim' album here]
Volatile Recordings
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