The following review will be written by someone who has never listened to Bayside before now. Any critiques of the band you feel are incorrect, I encourage you to direct me towards the nearest Bayside banger; please and thank you.
In an age of rock on the decline, Bayside appears to take this old and weathered boulder by the reins and drag it back up the mountain. This album bleeds a beautiful and energetic sound that pays respects to our rock overlords (Aerosmith, Metallica), while also taking notes from the contemporaries (Panic!, The Wonder Years). The songs all have a very theatrical aura to them. Major thirds and minor scales flutter throughout Baysides’ Interrobang, especially in songs like “Trouble”. Songwriting wise, Bayside has a knack for keeping things interesting. The arrangements balance a nice bevvy of mosh-friendly riffs without staying on the same riff for too long. Lead guitarist Jack O'Shea has some goshdarn personality. His solos have an actual direction to them (a progression if you will) while being unafraid of shredding his brains out. Look no further than the solo in “Tall”. Just when I thought I knew where the band was going, they went and threw me a curveball in the corner (a swing and a miss) with “Heaven”. It’s much sweeter than the songs before it.
Am I the only one who feels Anthony Raneri sounds like a backup singer? There’s such a lack of boldness to his vocals. Now, I don’t expect him to sound like Brenden Urie, but imagine if Brenden was singing Bayside’s songs. The theatrics and Brenden Urie being, well, Brenden Urie joining forces ended up being the thing I found myself thinking about the most often. t’s hard to mix an album uniquely, but the mix on Interrobang doesn’t exactly stick out (but that’s just me nitpicking at this point). Bayside put out an excellent argument against the theory that rock is dying. It might knock the socks off some of the old heads, but it packs plenty a punch for anyone who really cares.
RATING: 7
LOVE THEM: Bury Me, Tall, Numb, Heaven
LEAVE THEM: Walk it Off
Review by Gabe Straight