Album Lead Us To Reason by The Black Maria Review
Boasting one-time Grade frontman Kyle Bishop, the Black Maria achieves a comfortable balance of alluring hooks and sonic chaos on its impressive entry, Lead Us to Reason. Airwave-ripe screamo is in abundance here, as evidenced by the accessible roar of "Betrayal" and the aggressive opener "The Memento". If the latter's bleak lyrical tone ("I have this overwhelming urge/To suck in one good breath and scream/There is no love left inside of me") permeates the album, the dark albeit big rock roar of tunes like "Organs" and "Ash" are a perfect match. By lending pop subtleties to metallic punk, the Black Maria has proved its motives come closer to crafting a top-notch disc than reaching for the brass-ring peers like My Chemical Romance and the Used have already snagged. Financial rewards may be imminent, but they are also well warranted.Review by allmusic.com
