Silence In Black And White

A hard-touring Ohio band with a debut record that didn't reach the Billboard charts until a full seven months after its initial 2004 release, Hawthorne Heights plays a bracing brand of emo rock. The group combines the punky tunefulness and speedy rhythms of the Descendents with a heavy, prog-influenced sound that owes more to the "math rock" and "screamo" scenes. "Silver Bullet" begins with complex Rush-like start-stop unison fills, before giving way to an ultra-catchy chorus that would make fellow Midwesterners Cheap Trick smile, while "Ohio Is for Lovers" adds a healthy dose of guttural throat-shredding over lyrics that examine love and death. "Niki FM" uses metallic riffing and careening lead guitars to evoke a seemingly obsessive relationship. Equal parts raging post-hardcore and gentle melodicism, THE SILENCE IN BLACK AND WHITE is a dynamic, appealing emo album.