Ez Witcher

Just picked up the 20th anniversary silver edition vinyl release.

This album changed my life at age 11. I remember seeing the music video for Ohio is For Lovers and falling in love instantly with the mix of melodic singing and intense screaming. It clicked for me more than anything else I heard as a kid going through some dark times, an album that said "life is hard, make music about it." Hawthorne Heights became my optimism through school to college and beyond, becoming my favorite bands for two decades. I still love them deeply, even after the changes, the new members, when they put out their own music after Victory.

For the album itself, it really smacks of something… More

How do you follow up a seminal album 17 years later? At the time of release, I remember seeing a lackluster response and didn't really dive in. Now, years later, I have a tape version I picked up on a whim now that I live in American Football Town. It was a wonderful listen. Perhaps it doesn't have the rawness of the first album, that special sauce that made it such a memorable work, but it IS still a great album. The sound is a little more polished, informed by itself, but I found myself liking it. A solid release.