Posted: January 1st, 2008
Contributed By: Vic

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	Haloscript is: Dust Johnson (Vocals) Andrew Woods (Guitar) Jamison Wathen (Bass) Charlotte Kelli (Keys) Lance Adair (Drums)

Overview: Haloscript is a melodic metal band from Savannah, Georgia, though they went by a different name until recently. Up until late 2006, the band went by the moniker “H3AD CH3CK”. That same year, the band found a helping hand in Corey (Stuck Mojo, Stereomud, Dark new Day) and Clint Lowery (Sevendust, Dark new Day). Corey Lowery produced the band’s debut album, ‘Tomorrow Is Not…‘ with Clint Lowery helping with the writing process.. Despite being around only since 2000, the band has already toured with a number of prominent acts such as: Sevendust, Bobaflex, Nonpoint, Flaw, Kittie, In This Moment, Walls of Jericho, 36 Crazyfists, Fight Paris, The Autumn Offering, and Crash Romeo.

The Good: The Lowery’s influence on this album is quite evident, as there are plenty of Sevendust and Dark new Day like moments throughout the record. “Atlanta In Ashes” (probably the strongest track here) is the best example. The guitars are laid on extra thick and Andrew Woods delivers the lyrics in a style similar The song sounds like an account of the Civil War-era siege of the city. (”We burn this city so this Union will be saved; Take, take me from this tragedy”) The most pleasant surprise on ‘Tomorrow Is Not‘ is the chemistry between Woods’ vocals and those of keyboardist Charlotte Kelli. Both are able to transition seamlessly from screams to clean vocals that keep the listener interested. Essentially, there is a possibility of four very different quality voices on each song. The method works best on “Scarlet Canvas” where both Woods and Kelli swap verses and choruses alternating between screams and clean vocals. Kelli only sings on a handful of tracks though, letting Woods handle the vocals on his own for most of the record. He best demonstrates his ability to quickly swith between the two styles on “Becoming Light”, in impressive style. Beyond that, the album is approximately half screaming and half clean vocals. Haloscript takes a break from their metal attack on the almost-ballads “Better Me” and “Above the Below”. The stronger of the two is “Above the Below” where Woods’ singing sounds not unlike Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty briefly in the song’s intro. In contrast, the band gets in a thrashy, almost metalcore mood on the last song, “In The Name of Your Dead”. Lance Adair takes over the song with furious pounding on the skins while Woods screams: “This is not an ordinary war; Fight for every inch that we adore; This is a sad day.” A fitting way to end an album ripe with lyrics about war and personal redemption.

The Bad: Haloscript has a mid-album funk. “Siphon”, “Shotgun Smile” and “Ode to Decision” are not particularly strong songs. With exception to Jamison Wathen on bass, the band seems less confident on these songs, with Woods’ vocals wavering slightly, and Kelli’s barely registering. The guitars seem extra thick here to cover up a lack of depth. Luckily, it’s only a momentary lapse, and the band gets back on track with “Above the Below”. The ten songs on ‘Tomorrow Is Not‘ are sandwiched between two filler tracks (”Codex Coronarius” and “Gradus Trigesium Et Tertius”) where a distant voice repeats the titles over and over through a cloud of static. Perhaps it would have meaning for us if we could all speak Latin, but since we don’t, it’s just a waste of space.

Bottomline: Not even a brief funk or a pair of useless filler tracks can bring down this debut album from a band that sounds older than they actually are. The lyrics on ‘Tomorrow Is Not‘ cover a wide range, almost as wide as the voices delivering them. Though the music doesn’t necessarily bring anything to the genre, it’s still a solid cut of metal. There’s room for improvement, as the guitars can be uninspired even outside of the funk, but most of the time, the listener will be too busy with the vocals to notice.

Rating: 8 out of 10