It sounds like, Hi, everyone. Sweetthony Treattano here, the internet's busiest music nerd, and we have a review of the new Callous Daoboys album for you, I Don't Want to See You in Heaven.

Here we have the third full-length studio album from this (by-some) beloved Atlanta band. I haven't reviewed this group in-depth quite yet, but I have been following them since their explosive debut in 2019, which in many respects was a boilerplate mathcore project. Big, heavy metalcore inspired guitars and riffs coming together with lots of sudden groove changes, sometimes time signature changes.

But still, to pull off this genre as well as the band does is still a feat, especially considering how well they've historically been able to work in a lot of very melodic and anthemic hooks while still keeping their tracks, for the most part, very disorienting.

Now, with each new release, I feel like the Daoboys have been continuing to refine these disparate elements and finding new ways to continue getting them to work together and also wildly contrast, too. I think in a way, they've reached a peak with all of that on I Don't Want to See you in Heaven, which is a combination of so many things it's hard to keep track. Like I said, you have abrasive mathcore in the mix here: emo; noise rock; freaked out, quirky, MySpace scenester bangers; smooth, moody alt rock jams with very melodramatic lead vocals that are worthy of radio play.

Those are just a few of the inspirations and ideas going into this record. If you really want a taste of how varied some of the sounds on this album can be, take a listen to the first full track, "Schizophrenia Legacy", which is just totally outlandish in its complete mishmash of angular riffs, death metal growls, big group choruses, but also some very moody lead vocals, too, that feel like something off of an Incubus single. Now, while some parts of this track and others may come across as maybe a bit forced or random to a fault, I can't deny it is creative, and there's clearly a lot of effort going into nailing all of these changes. And look, right now, I feel like Callous Daoboys are in a very interesting place in the modern metal meta because fusions of metal and rock that mix aspects of both mainstream and underground sounds, they are all the rage at the moment.

And the Daoboys at least operate in that lane in a way that isn't dreadfully boring or predictable. I really never know what they're going to pull off next. A groove change, a total genre change, an ambient electronic bridge, or the most chaotic breakdown I've heard this year, it could be anything. But with the band trying to do everything at once on much of this LP, it's not that surprising that the overall experience of the album can be a mixed bag.

There are some tracks here where the band plays it super straight, and it actually comes out pretty great, like "Distracted by the Mona Lisa", for example, which is just a straight up alt metal anthem with some eerie synth layers, ultra clean lead vocals, riffs that remind me of older nu metal groups such as P.O.D. It's just a great all-around song that if it had come out 20 years ago could have been a hit. There's also "Lemon", which I think plays an alt rock angle too, but a much funkier one with some loop drums. However, in this instance, it feels like when the band isn't throwing in everything but the kitchen sink, their writing and performances can feel a bit too derivative or they are embodying the sound of a much less interesting band.

But sometimes even throwing the listener into a constant state of change and chaos isn't necessarily the answer too, because as I progressively listen to this album, I did start to feel like all of the sudden shifts were becoming a bit of a novelty or a supplement for songwriting that maybe is a bit more consistent or builds upon itself more effectively. This is especially true of tracks and moments that to me, came across tacky and gross, like on the intro of "Body Horror for Birds", which feels like I'm listening to a relaxation CD – the saxophone, the violin... It's just all very background music. I mean, for sure, again, very pretty and interesting that a band that makes vicious mathcore in the way that Daoboys do can also pull something like this off. But this is not something I would go out of my way to listen to either on a project where all the music sounds like this or even when it's side by side with some really nasty metal riffs and vocals.

I would say that's also the case for the random break beats and autotune passages on the end of "Tears on Lambo Leather", which I think really add nothing to the track, specifically. I just feel like I'm being suddenly moved into a waiting area where I have to sit and see when the rest of the song is going to load.

There's also the random break into this light Latin rock fusion bit on "Demon of Unreality Limping Like a Dog", which, again, surprised to hear the band can move into something like this so quickly and efficiently. But at this point, these moves just feel more like party tricks than genuine song ideas.

Now, I will say, sometimes these sudden shifts and changes in sound actually do contribute to the songs they're a part of in a way that is genuinely interesting, like on "Idiot Temptation Force", which features these horn-backed alt rock choruses that actually pair well with the heavier and more abrasive passages of the song. Plus, how could I not go for a song with a refrain such as "uga, uga, bo, uga, bo, bo, uga"? Yeah, that part rules.

I also want to do a shout out to the very lengthy closing track on the album, which I think is probably the best example of a song on this record that is going through multiple changes, but they all build on each other really effectively, even as the band, believe it or not, goes into a Bjork "Pagan Poetry" interpolation at one point, which, yeah, actually really cool and leads into an epic finale for the song.

I suppose the only other element of the record that's really making me go oof is the super heavy-handed spoken word interludes that are made to sound old-timey and like this album is some artifact or something. Also, it's really scary and freaky and dangerous. Watch out; beware.

The second to last track features a whole bit about like, the last part of this is not for the faint of heart. You might want to opt out. It's like, okay, man. All right. Okay. We're not scared.

Still, with that being said, Callous Daoboys are known for a theatrical passage or two on their previous records. I do commend them for really spelling out some of the themes of the album and actually following through with them pretty well in the lyrics throughout the record. I mean, given what is explained at the start of the album, there's a real sense of, I think, anguish and and bitterness and frustration that rings through really well, given what the album is supposed to be about.

So don't get me wrong, I do think there are quite a few highlights on this record. Great tracks, in fact, great ideas, stunning performances, quality production. I can see why this band is continually gaining more hype and attention with each record. But with that being said, some of the more straightforward bits felt like they were watering down their sound too much and making it maybe too plain and average. Meanwhile, the most chaotic and random bits of the record felt like they were, I don't know, playing a bit of a game with me to distract me from the lack of a great aesthetic or a musical idea or something.

So, yeah, to some degree, I still think Callous Daoboys have some fine-tuning to do. But still, I walked away pretty impressed with my experience with this album, enjoying much of it. And extra points for being the only mathcore band I know of to successfully pull off a Bjork interpolation. So, yeah, I'm feeling a light to decent 7 on this album.

Anthony Fantano, Callous Daoboys. Forever.