There's nothing frail about The Banner's third CD (their second for Ferret). Frailty is the New Jersey band's heaviest release to date. The Banner plays savage metalcore with hints of hardcore punk. The songs are intense, with ample amounts of bone jarring breakdowns. There is some diversity, but a lot of the songs sound similar. Better sequencing might have alleviated this somewhat. For example, the song "Dusk" has a slower tempo and a different vibe, and might have been better placed earlier on the CD to break things up instead of near the end.
The lyrical content of Frailty is dark, with song topics addressing suicide, failure and loss. The vocals are angry hardcore yells, which are delivered with a lot of energy and passion, but could use more variation in style. Fans who like their metalcore on the heavy side should enjoy Frailty.
(released June 10, 2008 on Ferret Music)
