Escape Sequence - Escape Sequence

Escape Sequence

Escape Sequence
self-released; 2014

3.1 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Escape Sequence is a band from Jacksonville, Florida comprised of Ryan Williams (vocals/guitar), Scott Williams (drums) and Jason Keller (bass). Their recent self-titled titled EP Escape Sequence is a combination of ubiquitous metal/singer/songwriter pop and a vocalist who sounds like he should be in a pop punk band.

The music is hard contemporary sounding metal that you have heard on the radio since the late ‘90s. Williams sounds unapologetically young throughout and also oddly out of place at times. This music should appeal to a younger audience who need a steady stream of mainstream sounding music.

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that one of the tracks “Takedown” sounds much better from an aesthetic perspective. On closer inspection the reason for this was they worked with a professional mixing engineer who knew what he was doing. It’s a shame because none of the other tracks have the energy of that song. 

The band opens up with an intro named “The Beginning,” which has nothing to do with the other four songs other than it’s clearly supposed to be an intro. It is a combination of digital virtual instruments such as fake violins and bell drops. The band gets into their ubiquitous metal with “To The End.” Williams’ nasally voice is backed up by predictable guitar riffs and drum patterns. The cookie cutter presentation will suffice for those who want more of the same. 

“Takedown” is far and away the best the band sounds. You could make a case for this song being radio ready and to be consumed by teenagers around the world. They follow the template to a tee including slight delays on the vocal and demon growl.

The fourth song “”I’ll Be There” might even turn off the most liberal of metal fans. It reminded me of something you would hear from a boy band as they sing cliché motivational lyrics atop an acoustic guitar. If they want to be even a mainstream metal band this is not the way to do it. 

If you enjoy metal like Mastodon and Baroness you can skip this altogether but if you prefer bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet for My Valentine this might be your cup of tea.

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