But, even these breaths of fresh air seem stale, as though the Used are just running through the motions. In fact, the more aggressive tracks are mostly safe from meddling and serve as the highlights of the album. There are a few bright spots on the album and the brightest of them is Now That YouвЂ™re Dead, where WiL Francis of Aiden and William Control joins the Used for a hardcore infused romp that also features a creepy opening reminiscent of The Best Of Me. Hands and Faces suffers from this as well, but gains points for the soft atmospheric bridge that almost redeems it. This seems to be the reason for the opening track, I Come Alive, which sounds like it was written after someone locked the Used up with nothing but the latest Skrillex release for a couple days. Instead of focusing on what makes them sound good, theyвЂ™ve focused on what makes other artists sound good. Vulnerable has the nauseating air of a band struggling to stay relevant, desperately incorporating all the elements the kids are really into these days. Despite its similar one word title, Vulnerable carries nothing of its predecessors traits. ItвЂ™s almost as if the Used that made Artwork were from an alternate dimension and only entered ours to give us one glimpse of the Used that could be, after all, itвЂ™s their only release to not feature John Feldmann producing. No, instead of moving forward with gross pop, the Used seemed to have taken a step back and made the sequel to their third album, Lies For The Liars. Vulnerable is not even an attempt at making that record.

Vulnerable is not that violent, dark record. The stage seemed set for the Used to release a violent, dark record the major labels would have never approved of. By the end of 2011, the Used had also cut off their major label connections by leaving Reprise Records and starting their own imprint, Anger Music Group, on independent label Hopeless Records. It seemed the Used had matured past gimmicks and gotten to the core of what made them great in the first place, an amalgamation of aggressiveness and catchiness. Artwork has been described as gross pop by the band and I think this is perfectly apt it captures the twisted nature of the songs as well as their simplicity. However, the Used were perfectly content to prove the naysayers wrong and in 2009, they released their most stripped down and arguably best album. In 2007, they released Lies For The Liars which had the band exploring a wide array of studio experimentation and seemed to foreshadow a future in which the Used got caught up with frivolous arrangements and forgot the vitriol that once possessed their songs. Then, in 2004, they inspired Warped Tour attending teens everywhere to tattoo hearts hanging from trees on themselves (this reviewer included) with their more polished sophomore album, In Love And Death. They released an abrasive self-titled debut in 2002 that showcased an ability to bring pop sensibilities to aggressive post-hardcore. The Used were one of the cornerstones of the screamo wave that rose up during the 2000вЂ™s. For those who havenвЂ™t, IвЂ™ll provide a recap. You see, the UsedвЂ™s fifth album came as a complete and total shock to those whoвЂ™ve been following the band. I truly believe VulnerableвЂ™s title is a reference to their audience. Review Summary: The Used appear to have run out of steam.

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