Hawthorne Heights

Hawthorne Heights pulls through the death of their guitarist and produces new album

Date published: 9/4/2008

BY GILLAN LUDLOW

Hawthorne Heights released their third album, "Fragile Future," last month on Victory Records.

The song "Rescue Me" is the album's first single, and the music video is currently showing on the Fuse TV network. The song has a steady beat, while the instruments hold a strong tempo. Lead singer Micah Carli showcases his range of vocals in this song. Even though the lyrics are somewhat saddening, the music itself seems unusually upbeat for the band.

My favorite song on the first half of the album is "Somewhere in Between." It's similar to "Rescue Me," in that it has the same upbeat tone. But the guitars are absolutely amazing in it. Carli sings about falling in love with someone who is totally different from him, but how they can always agree on one thing.

However, "Sugar in the Engine" is a different story. The beginning of the song is rough and edgy, and reminds me of Matchbook Romance. If fans listen closely in the background of the song they can hear, "On Nov. 24th, I woke up/ Just like any other day/ The beginning of another tour/ Just another city I've already seen before/ If I only knew, last night was the last time/ I would ever see you again."

This lyric is in reference to guitarist Casey Calvert's death back last November from combined drug intoxication--often labeled as an "overdose," but, in actuality, a correct use of medications prescribed by a doctor that leads to a fatal drug interaction.

After the song "Desperation," the album takes a different turn. The song "Four Become One" was written in memory of Calvert, who died right after the band had started their headlining tour. The song is about how there used to be five of them, but how, now that Calvert is gone, the four of them have become one. Calvert's death was unexpected and tragic, but the band has been moving forward since then. This song, as depressing as it is, has to be my favorite on the album.

Date published: 9/4/2008