Review: Beartooth- Aggressive

Beartooth released their second studio album Aggressive on June 3. This is a little bit on the lighter side for Beartooth in my opinion, but it works for the message they are sending across. Vocalist Caleb Shomo clearly had a lot to say on this album, and he did it in a way where he got his message across while also making himself relatable to listeners.  The underlying message of crawling out of depression and rebuilding yourself as a person while letting go of the negative is very apparent. I also got the feeling that a small bit of these lyrics were coming from the overwhelming success Beartooth has had and the toll it has taken on Caleb Shomo. Regardless of how you interpret his lyrics, this is a perfect anthem-album for anyone who has gone through some shit in their life. Aggressive was the title track first released off of the album, which got a ton of air play on XM and internet radio sites. When I first heard it I was hooked. I think the song has that raw anger that we all love and have come to expect from Beartooth. But then you go into the next song Hated and you almost have to take a step back. This, for me, set the tone of how relatable this album actually is. The lyrics speak for themselves. With lines such as “Live every day with the pain in the back of my mind, Torture doesn’t begin to describe it”, it has a serious impact on listeners that have felt that way. However you want it said is the catchiest song on the album in my opinion. It has a good message and it will be stuck in your head for days. It is also one of my favorites off of Aggressive, and I think it’s going to be a big fan favorite as well. Lastly, we need to talk about King of Anything. It is the last song off of the album and once it starts you just feel haunted by it. This is where my big about how Beartooth and their success has gotten to him comes into play, “But you made up your mind, and put me on that stage, just take it all back, I’m not the king of anything.” The message is clear in this one, with the lyrics and the downright passion in the vocals, it will make your hair stand up on the back of your neck. I think Beartooth has outdone themselves with Aggressive. I think their fans are absolutely loving it, I know I am and I hope that we can continue to seem this same passion (and aggression) from these guys over the next few years.