Story of the Year

In spite of the fact that there are a few tracks here that seem directly lifted from the Used’s self-titled debut, Page Avenue is an excellent, albeit somewhat unoriginal, release from a band set to become major players in the emo-core market. The album’s first single, "Until I Die,” offers a good insight into what the rest of the record has in store; instantly catchy melodies and hooks, with just enough screams and octave chords to satisfy those looking for a little punch in their pop. Numerous songs highlight an obvious admiration for label-mates the Deftones, as well as other notables of the genre. While it is easy to pick out such influences in Page Avenue’s songs, what is admirable about this record is that all the right influences were chosen. While there is no argument to be made here for outstanding originality, there certainly is one for quality. What Story of the Year have done is distil all their favourite bands into one, creating an incredibly song sense of dynamic as well as songwriting. The end result is instantly listenable and catchy as hell, which is worth a great deal on its own.