For me, BENTON FALLS is one of those bands that I hardly ever think of in terms of selecting music to play, however, whenever they do make it on to the stereo, I always kick myself for not playing it more often. “Guilt Beats Hate,” inches this band closer to being a part of common rotation, but still, there’s something slightly distracting from their densely textured post-hardcore sound that keeps it from becoming classic. Almost immediately, it is it known that BENTON FALLS turned it up a notch with this release, as the first few tracks hammer hard with a thick, buzzing guitar sound, and crisp, pointed drumming. Michael Richardson’s vocals are readily familiar, and given their deep range, and soaring possibilities, it seems like the band has expanded its sound just to accompany the greater power that Richardson can exhude from his internal firepower. Listening to this disc on a pair of high-quality headphones is practically intoxicating from the swirling vocal force. Also, there are more screaming parts to be found, and while it doesn’t push this band into the view of current, popular emocore darlings, it doesn’t reflect the rawness of this band’s tension, even admist the lush soundscapes. No review of BENTON FALLS however would be complete without mentioning the exquisite lyrics and passionate songwriting drivers. On the fourth track, “Trial and Error,” Richardson’s hauntingly gentle delivery of lines like, “I wish that I had told her to cut yourself free / please abandon me before things get really bad / don’t blame yourself fo rmy curiousity / I swear it’s not your fault / a trial and error tragedy,” shivers running up and down my spine. If you dare to listen to this disc in pitch-black darkness with headphones hugging your ears tight, be prepared for sensory overload.

Deep Elm

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