I like what this band is doing here on their third disc, the first couple tunes making me think this is a metalcore album, but a real good one: the opening title track immediately brings me back to the glory days of technical metalcore before it drops into a very Crowbarian sludge part. It all works well, but the band really starts impressing (and making me realize this is way more than metalcore) come track four, “Red Giant”, which combines moody vibes with machine-gun riffing and a slow-burn restraint not often (heck, basically not ever) displayed by a band that can be categorized as “technical metalcore”. 

There are points on this album that hint to thrashy trad (see the galloping “Black Sun Rising”) or even deathcore with some of those deep grooves and chugs, but the overarching feel is definitely one of really great '00s metalcore, and that's a good thing: not enough bands have this much variety, intensity, and passion in their delivery anymore. Plus, “Red Giant” sounds like one of those moody Pink Floyd songs that just has guitar solos that do not fucking end but we all kinda like it, even if we're worried the guitarist is definitely making a shitty-dude orgasm face as he solos for three minutes straight. The singing on Eyes Alive isn't as convincing as the hardcore yelling, which is actually pretty powerful here, and it sometimes all gets a bit jarring as the band flirts between sounds, styles, eras, and vibes; getting through this 46-minute album is about 10 minutes more frustrating than it should be. Still, a heavy, capable, and very fun listen.