Good morning! The time has come for Breakdowns At Tiffany’s (not to be confused with the cult classic Audrey Hepburn film / Truman Capote novella Breakfast At Tiffany’s). This is a well-oiled Modern Metalcore machine making themselves known from over in Krefeld, Germany. Their ruthless sound and professionalism have drawn in attention from across the globe, seating them among the most promising acts the sub-genre has to offer today.
Their most recent offering is a perception twisting, solid attraction. The album goes by the name of “Gravity” and it certainly is heavy. Heavy like being strapped to the surface of a distant planet like Kepler-10c. The album brings a total of 10 tracks across at 30+ minute spread that is sure to leave some destruction in its wake. The beast is currently available for streaming and purchase at all major online music platforms. You can check out the music through the music videos below and dig in further by grabbing it at their official merch store. As mentioned, it’s also available over at Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and more!
When listening to “Gravity”, it’s easy to picture it going over quite well in a number of live settings with it’s high energy trajectory and catchy landings. This is a band that very much stays true to its name by bringing a heaping helping of… well… breakdowns. There are also plenty of grooves, some tight riffery, and well constructed melodic elements to go around. But they’ve certainly honed their rhythmic approach to a fine edge. They talk the talk and back it up in kind.
The record begins with a series of light, trance-like sonic impacts. This title track then disconcertingly begins to start ticking like a final countdown in progress… Between this and the cover artwork, the clockwork effect actually reminds me of fellow German composer Hans Zimmer’s work on the science-fiction movie “Interstellar”. But that’s beside the point when the explosion comes… The instrumental corps rips in with a series of tight breakdowns and grooves. This is akin to the live warm up tracks often encountered at several Metalcore shows so it fits well.
This all leads up to the album’s first full track “Heart Of Darkness” which is an absolute monster. Between this and “Gravity”, the listener gains a good perspective of what to expect on this record – just as introductory tracks should. There are a number of quality moments on this record. Some of my other personal favorite tracks would have to be the mosh inducing “No Spit”, the melodic “Square Shaped – Circle”, the razor sharp edges of “False Perceptions”, the album single “Ghost”, and that absolutely beautiful closer track by the name of “Cleansing”! Though, in reality, all 10 numbers have their merits and could all be easily recommended to fans of the Metalcore sub-genre.
Despite the hard hitting nature of this record and some of the heavier themes covered, there seems to be a positive undercurrent at work here. Take a track like “Prismatic” for example. It speaks of overcoming adversity and finding freedom. Life will be hard, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel if you know where to look. On the other hand, there seems to be a good bit of anger here, as if cutting out the negativity at its core to loosen long harbored resentment. I could be off the mark but those are the vibes I get from the lyrics I hear at least.
For a band that doesn’t appear to take itself too seriously on the surface level (judging by the band name at least), the results here are actually very professional and even, at times, very serious. This contradiction of sorts could either come back to help or hurt this band (groups like The Devil Wears Prada and fellow German contemporaries We Butter the Bread with Butter also exist, after all). To a point, I’m sure it’s done a bit of both but the end results are all that really should matter. This is quality Metalcore material.
Speaking of which, Breakdowns At Tiffany’s could easily fit along the sharper echelons of modern Metalcore. If you enjoy current and past bands like Breakdown of Sanity, I, The Breather, Fit For A King, Texas In July, and Wage War – you’ve come to the right place! These guys are the “real deal”, so to speak.
This is a very well-produced effort that comes across with crystal clarity. Every part of the mix is well placed and shines through with no mud to speak of. In some cases, it may even be a bit over-produced… A bit too sterile…
Speaking of which, I do have a primary criticism that couldn’t be held down by the gravity. This is a record that falls into many stereotypes of the Metalcore sub-genre. It doesn’t feel like the most original effort at times with many elements that could be traced back time and time again. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it’s done well but it’s not a stretch to imagine this band pushing some boundaries in the future. However, if one goes into this record simply expecting a quality album full of sharp Metalcore bangers, once again, you’ve come to the right place!
Time to break it down for an end result… Is this album a good bit of fun? Hell yeah! Does this band have a lot of talent? Yep. Do they write solid, high end Metalcore music? Absolutely. Is this album doing anything to innovate, push set boundaries, and break into new musical territory? Absolutely not. This record is very good for what it is. Breakdowns At Tiffany’s have set a lane for themselves and they’re currently dominating it sonically. They should be proud of that. My gut feels like placing this one between a 7 and an 8 out of 10 so let’s just go ahead and pop it in between those two for a 7.5 out of 10.
Once again, you can go grab this album over on Big Cartel, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and more locations! If you’d like to follow along more closely with Breakdowns At Tiffany’s as they forge forward in their musical career, you can also check out their social media! They have pages over on Facebook and Instagram. Should be interesting to see what they cook up next!
Links: Facebook // Instagram // Merch
