Issues (Issues album)

Issues
Studio album by
Issues
ReleasedFebruary 18, 2014
Recorded2013
Genre
Length43:44
LabelRise
Producer
Issues chronology
Black Diamonds
(2012) 		Issues
(2014) 		Diamond Dreams
(2014)
Singles from Issues
  1. "Stingray Affliction"
    Released: December 18, 2013
  2. "Never Lose Your Flames"
    Released: May 1, 2014
  3. "Mad at Myself"
    Released: October 10, 2014

Issues (written as "•issues•" on the album's cover) is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Issues. Released on February 18, 2014, on Rise Records, the album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling over 22,000 copies in its first week.[5] The album was produced by Kris Crummett, Matt Malpass, and the group's keyboardist and disc jockey Tyler "Scout" Acord.

Background and recording

The album's initial release was originally in November 2013, however had been pushed back to February 2014. It is the band's first release with current drummer Josh Manuel after Case Snedecor's departure in early 2013. The band released a teaser for the track, "Stingray Affliction" on November 19, 2013.[citation needed] The official track listing was released on December 7, 2013.[citation needed] The album's first single, "Stingray Affliction" was released on December 18, 2013,[6] along with the album's artwork.[7]

The album was released as a music download, CD and as an LP through Rise Records.[8]

On November 18, 2014, the deluxe edition was released, featuring the Diamond Dreams.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Alternative Press[10]
Sputnikmusic[11]

At Alternative Press, Brian Kraus rated the album four stars out of five stars as he praised the album's DJ-based breakdowns and called the album a mixture of metalcore and post-hardcore with elements of nu metal.[10] Gregory Heaney of AllMusic gave the album a considerably lower score as he criticized the album's sound as the two genres (being metalcore and mainstream pop) saying, "can be a little hard to wrap your head around" and called it a new variant of the old nu metal genre. However, he praised its efforts on some tracks.[9] Sputnikmusic's Robert Lowe expressed negativity against the album, giving it the lowest rating. He criticized the album's use of throwing in random genres with metalcore, including R&B, hip hop and nu metal and stated this failed miserably, calling it a mixture of Limp Bizkit and Justin Bieber elements, and even went as far as to say, "it could be the worst album ever."[11] The album was included at number 16 on Rock Sound's "Top 50 Albums of the Year" list.[12] The album was included at number 43 on Kerrang!'s "The Top 50 Rock Albums Of 2014" list.[13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Sad Ghost"4:31
2."Mad at Myself"3:50
3."Life of a Nine"3:14
4."The Langdon House"3:57
5."Late"3:33
6."Old Dena"1:35
7."Stingray Affliction"3:38
8."Never Lose Your Flames"3:41
9."Personality Cult"3:53
10."Tears on the Runway Pt. 2"3:57
11."The Settlement"2:32
12."Disappear (Remember When)"5:23
Total length:43:44
Deluxe edition bonus disc: Diamond Dreams
No.TitleLength
1."Hooligans" (reimagined)4:06
2."Disappear" (reimagined)3:41
3."King of Amarillo" (reimagined)3:02
4."Princeton Ave" (reimagined)3:45
5."Diamond Dreams"2:26
6."Never Lose Your Flames" (reimagined) (featuring Ben Barlow of Neck Deep)3:36
7."Tears on the Runway" (reimagined) (featuring Nylo)3:28
8."The Worst of Them" (reimagined)3:30

Personnel

References

Citations
  1. ^ "Review: Issues – Issues". Itsalldead.com. February 17, 2014.
  2. ^ "Issues – Self Titled (Album Review)". Musicmayhemmagazine.com. December 13, 2015.
  3. ^ "Issues Self-Titled - Album Review". Christcore.net. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  4. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW – "Issues" (Self-Titled)". Richardthinks.org. February 17, 2014.
  5. ^ Caulfield, Keith (February 26, 2014). "'Frozen' Earns Most Weeks at No. 1 For A Soundtrack Since 'Titanic'". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  6. ^ "Issues announce debut LP, release new song "Stingray Affliction"". Alternative Press. n.d. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  7. ^ "Photographic image". Pbs.twimg.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "Issues release details". AllMusic. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Heaney, Gregory. "Overview of Issues". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Kraus, Brian (2014). "Issues – Issues". Alternative Press. March 2014 (308). Alternative Press Magazine, Inc.: 88. ISSN 1065-1667. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Lowe, Robert. "Issues – Issues review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  12. ^ Bird, ed. 2015, p. 27
  13. ^ Emily (March 18, 2015). "The Top 50 Rock Albums Of 2014". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d "Issues credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  15. ^ "Portland, Oregon Recording Studios". Interlaceaudio.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
Sources
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (January 2015). "Top 50 Albums of the Year". Rock Sound (195). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Issues at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)