Numbers (Woe, Is Me album)
Encyclopedia
Number[s] is the debut album by American rock
band, Woe, Is Me
, released on August 31, 2010 through Rise Records
and its imprint devision, Velocity. A re-release of the record is expected to be released by March of 2012 with the band's current clean vocalist, Hance Alligood and current lead guitarist, Andrew Paiano (formerly of Abandon All Ships
). Number[s] was produced by Cameron Mizell
in his Orlando, Florida
hometown.
s Top Heatseekers
, selling 1,700 copies in its first week. Two songs were released before the album itself: "[&] Delinquents" on July 29, 2010, and "Mannequin Religion" on August 20, 2010. The demo versions of three songs, "Hell, or High Water", "If Not, for Ourselves", and "I." had also been previously released. It is the last album to feature lead guitar
ist Tim Sherrill, given his departure from the band during the following year, as well as clean vocalist Tyler Carter, given his departure from the band in August 2011. A re-issue is scheduled for a March 2012 release featuring new clean vocalist Hance Alligood.
So far, a song entitled "Vengeance" has premiered with these two new members and was released as a single.
Max Grundström of Corezine also gave the album a highly praising review, saying that he was "expecting Woe, Is Me to be another run-of-the-mill, whiny post-hardcore band", but that his "mind was blown when [he] started listening to the intro." He said that they "mix catchy verses and bridges with bone crushing breakdowns, and even though it’s often encountered in modern metalcore/post-hardcore, Woe, Is Me succeed in keeping it fresh." He essentially closes the review with: "In a sea with similar acts Woe, Is Me somewhat drift with the other debris, but still manages to stay afloat."
Ryan Gardner, a writer at AbsolutePunk, gave the album a mostly positive review, saying that "Number[s] effectively combines elements found in bands such as labelmates In Fear and Faith
and even Emarosa
in the clean singing department; the clean vocals are spot on, the screams well placed (for the most part), and the musicianship is definitely there." He used tracks "[&] Delinquents" and "Keep Your Enemies Close" to state that "Michael Bohn can surely scream", and said that he believed "I." "switches back and forth from Woe, Is Me’s heaviest material to their most melodic, featuring some of the best lyrics on Number[s]." He closed the review with
Additional musicians
Production
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, Woe, Is Me
Woe, Is Me
Woe, Is Me is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2009, the group is currently signed to Rise Records and its subsidiary, Velocity Records...
, released on August 31, 2010 through Rise Records
Rise Records
-History:Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Roseburg, Oregon. He released a small number of 7" records before putting the label on hiatus to attend college. Ericson didn't release anything further until 1999, after moving to Portland, Oregon. He began issuing small-print 7" records, and...
and its imprint devision, Velocity. A re-release of the record is expected to be released by March of 2012 with the band's current clean vocalist, Hance Alligood and current lead guitarist, Andrew Paiano (formerly of Abandon All Ships
Abandon All Ships
Abandon All Ships is a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Formed in 2006, the group is currently signed to Universal Music Group, Underground Operations along with Rise Records and its subsidiary, Velocity...
). Number[s] was produced by Cameron Mizell
Cameron Mizell
Cameron Mizell is an American record producer and owner of the Chango Studios in Orlando, Florida. Cameron Mizell started recording in 2006. Mizell was also the lead singer for the band Last Winter in which he appeared on the albums Transmission: Skyline and Under The Silver Of Machines, both of...
in his Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
hometown.
Release
Upon the release of Number[s], it charted at number 16 on BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
, selling 1,700 copies in its first week. Two songs were released before the album itself: "[&] Delinquents" on July 29, 2010, and "Mannequin Religion" on August 20, 2010. The demo versions of three songs, "Hell, or High Water", "If Not, for Ourselves", and "I." had also been previously released. It is the last album to feature lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Tim Sherrill, given his departure from the band during the following year, as well as clean vocalist Tyler Carter, given his departure from the band in August 2011. A re-issue is scheduled for a March 2012 release featuring new clean vocalist Hance Alligood.
So far, a song entitled "Vengeance" has premiered with these two new members and was released as a single.
Reception
The album gained mixed to positive reception from critics, with Lexington Music Press saying that it "certainly gets better and better as it plays through and tries more out with its formula." However, they said that the during the first half of the album, "several songs share the same basic formula, keeping them from reaching the potential heights they could." The apparent stand out song was "Hell, or High Water", as they said it included "stand out and memorable moments, such as the hauntingly beautiful bridge (though the breakdown that follows is definitely note worthy as well)." The review closed positively, saying that Number[s] was "quite an explosive debut that will surely help Woe, Is Me rise the ranks quickly."Max Grundström of Corezine also gave the album a highly praising review, saying that he was "expecting Woe, Is Me to be another run-of-the-mill, whiny post-hardcore band", but that his "mind was blown when [he] started listening to the intro." He said that they "mix catchy verses and bridges with bone crushing breakdowns, and even though it’s often encountered in modern metalcore/post-hardcore, Woe, Is Me succeed in keeping it fresh." He essentially closes the review with: "In a sea with similar acts Woe, Is Me somewhat drift with the other debris, but still manages to stay afloat."
Ryan Gardner, a writer at AbsolutePunk, gave the album a mostly positive review, saying that "Number[s] effectively combines elements found in bands such as labelmates In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith is an American rock band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2006, the group is currently signed to Rise Records and have released two studio albums and two EPs. Their debut full-length, Your World on Fire, being released nearly a year after the band's signing to Rise in 2008,...
and even Emarosa
Emarosa
Emarosa is an American rock band from Lexington, Kentucky. Formed in 2006, they released one EP in 2007 titled This Is Your Way Out, and shortly after, the group underwent significant lineup and sound changes, dropping their heavy metal influence and leaning toward a soul inspiration...
in the clean singing department; the clean vocals are spot on, the screams well placed (for the most part), and the musicianship is definitely there." He used tracks "[&] Delinquents" and "Keep Your Enemies Close" to state that "Michael Bohn can surely scream", and said that he believed "I." "switches back and forth from Woe, Is Me’s heaviest material to their most melodic, featuring some of the best lyrics on Number[s]." He closed the review with
Track listing
Personnel
Woe, Is Me- Cory Ferris - bass guitar
- Austin ThorntonAustin ThorntonAustin Reed Thornton is an American drummer, noted for performing in the now-defunct post-hardcore band Of Machines and is currently a part of the band Woe, Is Me.- Of Machines :...
- drums, programming - Kevin Hanson - rhythm guitar
- Ben Ferris - keyboards, unclean backing vocals
- Michael Bohn - lead unclean vocals
- Tyler Carter - lead clean vocals (on original pressing)
- Hance Alligood - lead clean vocals (on re-release)
- Tim Sherrill - lead guitar (on original pressing)
- Andrew Paiano - lead guitar (on re-release)
Additional musicians
- Jonny CraigJonny CraigJonathan Monroe Craig is a Canadian-American singer. He is currently the lead vocalist for the band Dance Gavin Dance, and former vocalist of the bands Emarosa and Ghost Runner on Third. He has an eponymous solo project, with which he has released one studio album and a live album to date...
- additional vocals on tracks 8 and 10
Production
- ProductionSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, recording and mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Cameron MizellCameron MizellCameron Mizell is an American record producer and owner of the Chango Studios in Orlando, Florida. Cameron Mizell started recording in 2006. Mizell was also the lead singer for the band Last Winter in which he appeared on the albums Transmission: Skyline and Under The Silver Of Machines, both of... - MasteredAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
by Joey SturgisJoey SturgisJoey Sturgis is an American record producer and owner of The Foundation Recording Studio in Connersville, Indiana. Joey Sturgis started recording in 2004. Foundation Recording Studio managed by Rise Records founder Craig Ericson... - Art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
and designGraphic designerA graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
by Glenn Thomas