Listening to a new Senses Fail album is a lot like reconnecting with an old
friend—although there’s a comforting, indefinable familiarity within all of
the New Jersey-based post-hardcore quintet’s records, each new creation
is a fleeting snapshot of the lives of its makers, indelibly capturing the
things that meant the most during your mutual time apart.
The band’s third full-length release, Life Is Not A Waiting Room, is no
exception. Having the unenviable task of following 2006’s crushing Still
Searching, the album showcases the face-melting musicianship and soulbaring
lyricism that define Senses Fail. Once again produced by helmsman
Brian McTernan (Thrice, Circa Survive) and recorded in Baltimore, MD, at
his Salad Days studio, Life boasts a towering sound akin to a roundhouse
kick to the skull.
“This is the most fun we’ve ever had as a band,” says singer James
“Buddy” Nielsen. “I think we were feeling a lot less pressure this time
around, but you’ve always got to do your best.”
The New Jersey-based group formed six years ago and released their
debut EP, From the Depths of Dreams, in 2002. 2004’s Let It Enfold You—
their first full-length was followed by Still Searching, which debuted at
#15 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. To date, Senses Fail have performed
multiple worldwide tours and their catalog sales have reached over
850,000, yet the band continue to evolve. Although in many ways Life
picks up seamlessly where Searching left off, the new album has very distinct,
unique qualities, most notably its lyrical content. While Searching
wrestled with issues regarding religion and depression, Life is centered
squarely on a crumbling relationship, and the desire to see meaningful
change.
“A lot of this record is written about the recent break up I had with a longtime
girlfriend, the first person I have ever been in love with, and someone
I spent a lot of time and shared my transition from kid to adult,” explains
Nielsen. “The other elements of the record consist of regrets and how they
can leave a burning hole in your soul; how the past is something you can’t
change….There are also bright moments where I find myself coming to
terms with those very facts, and in knowing the problem you can then be
proactive and change.”
Life also marks the addition of new bassist Jason Black (formerly of Hot
Water Music), who replaces the departed Mike Glita. Meanwhile, guitarists
Garrett Zablocki and Heath Saraceno (formerly of Midtown) have grown
into one of the most scorching six-string tandems around; Life features
more of the nimble harmonies showcased on Searching, but this time the
duo took it one step further, with some truly shred-a-riffic leads, such as
those heard on “Lungs Like Gallows” and “Garden State.” Another rocker,
“Wolves At The Door,” was so intense that it even garnered a coveted spot
within the soundtrack for the best-selling Madden NFL ‘09 video game.
Kicking off with the rich, moody “Fireworks At Dawn,” Life roars and pummels
its way through the album’s 12 tracks without the slightest pause for
filler, delivering an absolute haymaker just four tracks in with “Family
Tradition,” which features the band’s signature blend of dark and melodic.
Nielsen’s words are as insightful as they are meaningful.
“I find myself at times doing things to live up to other peoples’ expectations,
or cutting myself down because I assume that will make me look
more humble to the world,” says Nielsen. “So this song is one part a reaction
to that, and also about following the footsteps of a family member you
don’t really know, but who has had a huge influence on you.”
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching moments of all come via the two-part
song cycle of “Yellow Angels” and “Four Years,” which were inspired by a
terminally ill fan named Marcel, who befriended Nielsen at an SF show in
Dallas, TX. Nielsen remained in contact with the 18-year-old, who was
stricken with cancer of the soft tissue of his face, and endured many
painful surgeries and treatments in order to attempt to fend off tumors that
were growing in vital areas such as his eyes, nose and throat. When
Marcel’s mother notified Nielsen of her son’s worsening condition, the
singer flew to Texas, where he spent a great deal of time with this incredibly
courageous young man, during the final days of his tragically short life.
“It was one of the most intense and stirring times in my life. The sheer pain
this 18-year-old boy was in was mind blowing, yet his optimistic outlook
and sense of humor was steadfast,” Nielsen recalls. “This kid changed my
life and although he is no longer with us, he lives on everyday in the pictures
I took with him, to remind myself that life is never as bad as you think
it is. So ‘Yellow Angels’ is my reaction to meeting Marcel and how I needed
to live in the moment and love myself and life. ‘Four Years,’ on the other
hand, is about being influenced by such a life-changing [experience] and
having to make new decisions about my relationship and what it really
was.”
The album’s title is a succinct, encapsulating statement as to its thematic
thrust. Life Is Not A Waiting Room is just as much revelation as it is reflection;
the sum total of every ounce of pain, fear, hope and joy that the record
exudes.
“I felt I had been living as if I was waiting for something to happen, but I
know that is the wrong way to live—it just doesn’t promote any sort of happiness,”
Nielsen concludes. “The title sums up the direction I want to go
in, and what I want to get away from, and it’s a cry to everyone else to stop
living like I have.”
Just like the rest of us, Nielsen’s struggle is far from over. But one thing is
certain: SF have once again delivered their message with both passion
and fury. All one has to do is listen with their ears and heart open—just as
an old friend would.
