Someday Came Suddenly is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was released on November 11, 2008, through Rise Records. The album's name derives from the third track, "Bro, Ashley's Here", and is the only album to feature vocalist Austin Carlile. Many of the album's lyrics feature strong Christian themes.

Someday Came Suddenly
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 11, 2008
Recorded2008
StudioThe Foundation Recording Studios in Connersville, Indiana
Genre
Length30:24
LabelRise
ProducerJoey Sturgis
Attack Attack! chronology
If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?
(2008)
Someday Came Suddenly
(2008)
Attack Attack!
(2010)
Singles from Someday Came Suddenly
  1. "Stick Stickly"
    Released: June 4, 2008
  2. "Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3"
    Released: August 14, 2009

Background

edit

Someday Came Suddenly was recorded at The Foundation in Connersville, Indiana, in 2008, and released that November.[3] Attack Attack! had been signed to Rise Records shortly after the release of their EP If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords? earlier that year.[4] Five of the album's tracks – "Stick Stickly", "Party Foul", "What Happens If I Can't Check My MySpace When We Get There?", "The People's Elbow", and "Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3" – are re-recordings of the five songs on If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?.[5]

In the fall of 2008, the group toured with Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, A Static Lullaby, Showbread and Confide.[6] During this tour, the band parted ways with Carlile and he was replaced by Nick Barham of For All We Know.[7] The group also joined Escape the Fate on their US headlining tour in February and March 2009 along with William Control, and Burn Halo.[8]

Singles

edit

Lead single "Stick Stickly" was released for digital download on June 4, 2008.[9] It is named after the Nickelodeon character Stick Stickly, a popsicle stick voiced by Paul Christie that hosted the programming block Nick in the Afternoon.[10] The music video for "Stick Stickly" debuted on MTV Headbangers Ball in 2009.[11] The video is infamous for inspiring the crabcore internet meme, named for the members of the band and other electronicore artists squatting rhythmically in a "crab-like" stance.[12]

"Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3" was released on August 14, 2009 as the album's second single. The song had a music video produced for it, which consists of a live performance filmed in Pontiac, Michigan at the Crofoot Ballroom during their tour with Escape the Fate.[13] Neither video features Carlile, who had been replaced by Nick Barham by the time they were filmed.

Reception

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk51%[1]
Alter the Press!     [14]
PunkNews.org     [15]

Someday Came Suddenly peaked at number 193 on the Billboard 200 and number 25 on the Independent Albums chart.[16][17] Its highest peak was at number 9 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, where it spent 32 weeks.[18] While the album was commercially a moderate success, it received generally mixed reviews, with praise for the heavier tracks and unclean vocals and criticism of its electronic elements and use of Auto-Tune. Gregory Adams of The Georgia Straight and John McDonnell of The Guardian unfavorably compared lead single "Stick Stickly" to Swedish Eurodance artist Basshunter.[19][12]

Eric Schneider of AllMusic gave a positive review for the album stating, "the emo act Attack Attack! presents a restless outing that ranges from the melodic tune 'Bro, Ashley's Here' to the searing screamo number 'Party Foul'. While the shift between the two sounds can be disorienting, the group's keyboard-centric arrangements manage to tie Someday Came Suddenly together, as best revealed on 'The People's Elbow'."[20] Jeremy Aaron of AbsolutePunk gave a mixed review praising the group's ability to be both heavy and catchy, but criticized their opposite styles, "simply off-putting at times." He ended off calling the album, "uninspired, with most of the songs following the same formula."[1]

Sean Reid of Alter the Press! criticized the tracks such as "Bro, Ashley's Here", "Shred, White, And Blue" and "Party Foul" for, "following the structure of uninspiring hardcore music with electronic undertones and vocoder singing vocals."[14] PunkNews.org gave a negative review of the album stating, "Attack Attack! is just your typical, generic screamo band, with electronica breakdowns of course."[15]

Track listing

edit
No.TitleLength
1."Hot Grills and High Tops"0:42
2."Stick Stickly"3:31
3."Bro, Ashley's Here"3:18
4."Shred, White & Blue"2:35
5."Party Foul"2:36
6."What Happens If I Can't Check My MySpace When We Get There?"2:36
7."Interlude" (Instrumental)2:07
8."The People's Elbow"2:37
9."Kickin' Wing, Animal Doctor"2:28
10."Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3"3:42
11."Catfish Soup"2:58
12."Outro" (Instrumental)1:24
Total length:30:24

Personnel

edit

Credits for Someday Came Suddenly adapted from AllMusic.[3]

Charts

edit
Chart performance for Someday Came Suddenly
Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[16] 193
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] 9
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] 25

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d Aaron, Jeremy. "Attack Attack! - Someday Came Suddenly - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  2. ^ "This Day In Music History: November 11th, 2008 - Attack Attack! releases debut album, "Someday Came Suddenly"". The New Fury. November 11, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Someday Came Suddenly - Attack Attack! Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Wetzel, Richard (June 17, 2013). The Globalization of Music in History. Routledge. pp. 127–130. ISBN 9781136626241. Andrew is the author's grandson, see notes p. 178.
  5. ^ "If Guns Are Outlawed Can We Use Swords - EP". Big Cartel. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, A Static Lullaby, Showbread, Confide, Attack Attack!". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Chris True. "Attack Attack! Biography by Chris True". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Brian Shultz (December 9, 2008). "Escape the Fate Heading Out With Attack Attack!/William Control/Burn Halo". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Eli Enis (June 4, 2019). "The true story of the most hated metal video of all time". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Tom Connick (July 31, 2018). "It's 10 years since the birth of 'crabcore', the ludicrous metal offshoot that baffled a generation". NME. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Corey (June 9, 2009). "Attack! Attack!'s New video makes me want to slit my wrist". MetalSucks. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  12. ^ a b McDonnell, John (June 23, 2009). "Scene and heard: Crabcore". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016.
  13. ^ Christina Fuoco-Karasinski (August 14, 2009). "Attack Attack! Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3 (Live) - Video". Noisecreep. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Sean Reid. "Album Review: Attack Attack! - Someday Came Suddenly". Alter the Press!. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Erik. "Attack Attack! - Someday Came Suddenly (2008)". PunkNews.org. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Attack Attack! Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Attack Attack! Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Attack Attack! Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  19. ^ Gregory Adams (12 August 2009). "Attack Attack!'s crabcore keeps listeners guessing". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  20. ^ Eric Schneider. "Someday Came Suddenly Review by Eric Schneider". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2023.