Review: A Breath Beyond Broken/Aviator Split

Nestled deep within the sweat-drenched floors of old VFW halls, lovable hole-in-the-wall bars, fraternity basements (believe me, I’ve seen it) and tiny all-ages clubs, there is a movement called “The Wave”. Now, you might ask what bands like La Dispute, Touche Amore and the rest of said collective might have to do with two bands from Massachusetts. In reviving what many had called a dead genre and what some still confuse with bands of the early ‘00s that sacrificed creativity for a spot on the t-shirt rack at Hot Topic, The Wave is ushering in a new era of bands creating slightly more accessible, but just as equally passionate, screamo. Enter A Breath Beyond Broken and Aviator. While still young in terms of writing and in many cases age, these are two bands who get the true ideals behind screamo and meld it with melodic hardcore without relying on the current underground trends of drop-b breakdowns or auto-tuned vocals.

A Breath Beyond Broken (affectionately referred to at AB3) brings ferocity beckoning Touche Amore while mixing in the trio of voices and often inventive drum work. The abrasive, yet uplifting fretwork on “Dreamt Myself an Architect Built Myself Some Walls” compliments the vocals well, bringing an aggressive sound full circle with the personal, yet relatable lyrics. “Kept Myself Awake” follows a similar path, yet shows the melodic ability of this band in the weaving guitar melodies heard near the beginning of the track. While the timbres don’t shift quite as much as say a band like Circle Takes the Square, AB3 don’t need constant changes to keep your attention – they pull you in with a solid vocal attack and impressive songwriting that hinges on solidarity.

On the flip side, Aviator bursts with melodic hardcore goodness with “I’m Sick of Standing in the Same Place”, again bringing to mind the sounds of The Wave. The title reflects the track’s characteristics through and through, as the buzzing guitars dance behind the sharp vocals and solid drumming. The track hinges back and forth between bombastic and subtle, not always relying on being loud to get the musical, and vocal, message across. Strong songwriting is the name of the game in “The Definition of a Dead End”, as the more straightforward track hits the nail straight through the board during the slower 3/4 section. Sure, they spice it up just as nice when they add in the little quirks throughout the song, but Aviator prove less is more with this track.

If you’re into any of the bands inhabiting The Wave, you’re going to want to check out this split. With these two bands writing this strongly already in their musical careers, it can only be imagined what they’ll think up next.

A Breath Beyond Broken/Aviator
Split EP
Self-released
B+