This EP is a somewhat limited edition disc (only 4000 copies) that’s availabe from the band directly or through a few websites. “The Transient Hearts” finds REACH THE SKY at a crossroad once again – full of melodic touches, but just as fast and furious as traditional East Coast hardcore. The band’s last disc “Friends, Lies, and the End of the World,” was a sharp release, but the recording quality lacked the proper punches to really pull the sound off. Thankfully, that problem has been fixed with this EP. With a beefier guitar attack, and Ian’s vocals finally feeling natural, REACH THE SKY have definitely found their own stride. The first song, “The Gift of Stern Angels” is a ripper, and like all first tracks on releases by this band, there’s the snappy breakdown in the song about 2/3rds of the way through. Time to get out those moshing shoes! This song finishes up real tight and should work great live. The second song moves this band even further away from being a merely typical act, as “Homesick Confession” has a mid-paced, bouncy sound – one that’s complimented by some wholly sincere lyrics about losing a grandmother. REACH THE SKY tossed in a piano to wind down this song and surprisingly, it works well. The second half of this EP is just as strong as the first, with the songs, “His Hour Upon The Stage,” and the almost AGNOSTIC FRONT or BANE sounding, “Everlasting Voices.” The former song starts with some great guitar work that makes the tune instantly recognizable, and reminds me of their style on their first full length, “So Far From Home.” The final song on here is somewhat of an oddball for these guys, but who can blame them for trying to write a full-fledged group sing-along type of thing with huge backing vocals and mega-positive lyrics. I hope that REACH THE SKY eventually make this their set closer because once the crowd gets to know this song, I envision 10 foot pile ons and plenty of sweaty people. Although I’m usually not a fan of EPs because of their brevity, this one (4 songs, 13 minutes) is darn near essential as REACH THE SKY continue to move in the direction of originality and furthering their own style in the hardcore world.

Victory

www.victoryrecords.com