Beloved have incorporated two intense musical styles, hardcore and emo, seamlessly together to form a bond of aggression, emotion, and melody. Simple and raw one moment, pummeling and fierce the next. A welcome change of pace as I can appreciate the emotion behind hardcore but lose interest at the monotony, and the emo stuff, well, it can get whiny after a while. Well produced and uniquely packaged, Beloved have put out an album that deserves some attention.

Released on Solidstate Records, and produced by GGGarth Richardson, Failure On is a journey through rebellion, uncertainty, and hope. Sheathed in turmoil, the songs pound their fists on the walls, pleading for answers. "This world won't define our hope. We'll sift through the ashes until we find what's true in our hearts and right it there," they declare in "Inner Pattern." The songwriting is a clear strong suit for this band, building layers of interesting riffs and rhythms, and topping it all with intelligent, creative lyrics that aren't too obscure or too cliché. "The hush of the heart seems too much to keep. It's stealing with fear that's reaching in and pulling out with every beat," ("Rise And Fall").

While personally I'd prefer to hear this band sans the hardcore element (I think it would make it into my regular rotation that way- heck, maybe it still will), it brings this band to a level that differentiates them from everybody else. Kind-of a buffer to help guide these two genres together. A job well done!

www.belovedrock.com