Marianas Trench: Ever After - Review

Marianas Trench can be considered "Canada's little secret," as we always get their albums and singles ahead of other regions, and they rarely perform outside of the great white north. Us Canadians are extremely lucky that we have such an amazing group almost all to ourselves, and that is evident in their latest studio album, "Ever After," released in Canada on November 21, 2011 and December 21, 2011 in the United States. The album consists of twelve tracks, including five singles. Some tracks have an upbeat and exciting tone, while others have a more dark and mysterious feel to them. The album received critical acclaim, with it reaching 8th position on the Canadian Albums billboard, and for good reason. Canada is very lucky to have such a talented group of musicians representing them, and here's why.

The cover of the album, depicting several toys on shelves,
which reflects the album's story.

Ever After is a concept album, with a storyline being told through the tracks, as well as no pauses between them. The story tells of Josh Ramsay, who lands in the fictional world of Toyland and sets off to defeat Queen Carolina and return home. Even when you're just listening to the songs without knowing that there's a story being told, you can sense that there's a trend hidden in the lyrics. Josh Ramsay's voice never fails to blow you away, and you sometimes wonder how he manages to hit all of those high notes. Hit singles "Haven't Had Enough" and "Fallout" are notable examples that show off Ramsay's amazing talent.

"Haven't Had Enough" music video, released on August 25, 2011. Nice pirate hat.

The lyrics, aside from telling the story, also offer a subliminal message in between the lines. They talk about love, disaster, and happiness, which all happen along the course of the story. I'd even go so far as to say the lyrics give the songs a personality; it feels like they speak to you, like you can relate to them. I found the lyrics to be relaxing in some parts, and intense in others. In some cases, even both at the same time! A songwriter always wants to give their lyrics a meaning, and Ramsay doesn't disappoint. You'll surely agree when you hear the mysterious but upbeat sound.

"Fallout" music video, released on February 2, 2012.

I'm getting some Michael Bay vibes from this, despite this being a music video.

Some songs also incorporate a sort of "rock meets opera" type of feeling. This is especially prominent in "Stutter," the eighth track and fourth single, which involves a choir occasionally echoing Ramsay's vocals in certain points of the song. It is because of this that I find Stutter to be my favourite track; it stands out from the others in that it shows that something big is happening, like the the listener is climbing a mountain on his/her way to the climax, before rolling down and recovering from the fall. It truly is unique in it's own way, and it fills the role of that one song on an album that NO ONE can stop singing. However, I felt like some of the other songs sounded to familiar to one another, with not enough differences to distinguish them from each other. Fortunately, songs like that are not put right next to each other in the track list, so you'll always be listening to something relatively new each time.

"Stutter" music video, released on December 20, 2012. That's a terrible fake mustache.

Overall, I found Ever After to be different from other albums of the same genre. Being a concept album puts it in a league of it's own, and the story combined with the amazing vocals and upbeat tune makes this a worthy title of #8 on Canadian Albums, and will surely please anyone who enjoys the genre. After listening to this, I have high hopes for their next album, "Astoria," which will hopefully carry on their unique music style. So if you "Haven't Had Enough" 'By Now," keep an eye out for Marianas Trench's next big studio album coming out this spring. (Yes, I know they were bad puns. I'll get my coat.)

The Good:

+Fantastic lyrics that tell a fantastic story

+Connecting the end of one track and the beginning of another helps to continue the flow

+Vocals are loud and pronounced

The Bad:

-slightly repetitive tune

Final Rating: 9 out of 10