Straight Up Random

CD Review: Don’t Panic (We Are Not In Control) by Undying Allegiance

The Band: Undying Allegiance

The Album: Don’t Panic (We Are Not In Control)

Stand Out Tracks: “The Promise” and “This Is The End”

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The Review: It’s funny how the track listing on a CD makes a world of difference. When I first listened to Don’t Panic (Were Are Not In Control) I accidentally listened to it on shuffle, and I thought to myself how horribly unorganized the songs were. I soon realized my mistake and listened to the songs in the correct order, and it has made reviewing this CD much easier. “The Promise” starts off the album with energetic drum rolling and a “Yea!” leads the song into the first verse. It is extremely catchy, but not in a pop rock sense, but more in the vein of mainstream rock. The tempo of the second song “Walk Away” isn’t as fast as “The Promise”, and is kind of just your generic alternative rock song. Only three tracks into the album and you hit the first of a few slow jams, “Until I Can’t Hold On.” “7th and 32nd” comes on after it, and is an all around good song but is thrown off a little by the deliberate fluctuations of the singer’s voice in the chorus. Track 5 “Goodbye & Goodnight” is slow paced, but is definitely different from “Until I Can’t Hold On.” The song has heartfelt lyrics of someone leaving, and tugs at your heart when he sings “Do you know what you meant to me/In my heart a sister you’ll be/Even though you will be gone/Our words will still live on.” The next song, “Story of Our Lives” brings back the energy to the album and is an overall solid song. “This Is The End” comes on afterwards and is an acoustic ditty with a steady beat, that is better vocally than any other track on the album. The next three songs that come on after that are ”Awakening,” “Sincerely Yours,” and “Silent Swell,” and they all add some energy to the low tempo album. The last track on Don’t Panic is “I’m Coming Home,” and it ends the album on a mellow note but ends it well. Overall, the entire album is pretty solid being that it is Undying Allegiance’s debut full-length, but is recommended for listeners of a more mature, alternative rock taste.

The Rating: 3 out of 5

Reviewed By: Maria Garcia