Compared to the likes of Mae, Acceptance, and Taking Back Sunday comes Greeley Estates with their latest release, “Far From The Lies.” This Phoenix, Arizona-based band started making music back in late 2002 in the hopes of combining their love for punk rock, metal, and emo together to create a sound that is unique, boisterous, and speaks volumes about the post-hardcore scene’s credibility within the music world. Although the band makes a strong effort, they fall short in accomplishing these goals.

Continuous touring has definitely sky-rocketed Greeley Estates into a popularity overload, but their music can sometimes feel a bit flat and almost as if it is lacking a vital piece to the musical puzzle. At the same time, “Far From The Lies” features some amazing songs that prove as being among the best to come out lately in the post-hardcore scene. Songs like “The End Of All We Know” and “Through Waiting” feature Greeley Estates at their absolute best. However, songs like “Secret” are extremely boring and bland in comparison to other post-hardcore acts out there today.

The album itself is not that bad at all in comparison to other screamo and post-hardcore bands like Underoath, Thursday, or Saosin. Greeley Estates definitely do have a solid sound and it shows quite vividly on this album. My only complaint is that the album seems to lack substance. In a way, “Far From The Lies” feels like it is only a skeleton of the music present on the album. Overall, the songs on this album just lack that extra musical edge to bring the band and its work to the forefront of the post-hardcore and emo genres. Although Greeley Estates could never compete with heavyweights like Fall Out Boy or Dashboard Confessional, they are definitely a band worth listening to if you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands.