I Went to Hell and Back

Last updated

I Went to Hell and Back
I Went to Hell and Back.png
Studio album by
Released4 February 2022
Genre
Length40:20
Label Fearless
Producer Zach Jones
As It Is chronology
Bargaining: Reimagined
(2019)
I Went to Hell and Back
(2022)
Singles from I Went to Hell and Back
  1. "IDGAF"
    Released: 28 May 2021 [1]
  2. "I Lie to Me"
    Released: 5 August 2021 [2]
  3. "ILY, How Are You?" and "IDC, I Can't Take It"
    Released: 3 September 2021 [3]
  4. "I Miss 2003"
    Released: 11 November 2021 [4]
  5. "In Threes"
    Released: 9 December 2021 [5]

I Went to Hell and Back is the fourth studio album by British-American pop-punk band As It Is, released 4 February 2022 by Fearless Records. [6] [7] The album is the band's first as a trio after guitarist Benjamin Langford-Biss left in 2019 [8] and drummer Patrick Foley left in 2020 to pursue his firefighting career, [9] with vocalist Patty Walters recording drums in studio. [10]

Contents

Style and reception

I Went to Hell and Back ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Distorted Sound8/10 [11]
Kerrang! 4/5 [6]
New Noise MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Sputnikmusic3/5 [13]
UpsetStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]

Distorted Sound's Katie Bird says that the band "have stopped playing it safe", showing with the post-hardcore screams on album opener "IDGAF"'s final chorus that they "aren't here to play around." Subsequent to the first couple tracks, the "heavy rock sound screeches to a halt" with "ILY, How Are You?" and "IDC, I Can't Take It" introducing "strange electronic production" on which it is "nice to see the band experimenting with different genres." The rest of the album switches back and forth between post-hardcore, electronic rock, and pop-punk, making for a "cumulation of everything [the band] have done so far." Bird closes by saying "Despite some mishaps, there is something for everyone. This band are at their best when they are having fun, and that definitely happens a lot on this album." [11] Jake Richardson of Kerrang! writes that the album sees the band "settle on a sound somewhere in between the darkness of their last record [The Great Depression] and the more upbeat stylings of their early material", a "decision that pays dividends throughout." "I Miss 2003" is described as Walters' "love letter to the Warped Tour scene, with lyrics referencing New Found Glory, The All-American Rejects, Mayday Parade and Good Charlotte", but the song is "an anthem in its own right, and a song that does far more than just play on nostalgia for the sake of it." The album is "slick, coherent", "the most fully-rounded incarnation of As It Is to date", and "comfortably the best its creators have ever sounded." [6]

New Noise Magazine's Tabitha Timms notes "IDGAF" for "shin[ing] a light on the band's ability to create catchy melodies and puts a heavy push on fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, featured in the song's chorus"; "I Lie to Me"'s "descending staircase feeling of hooks tied into the chorus and verses"; "I Hate Me Too" as a "powerhouse of a track" which "indicates that their [ sic ] in-tune with their genre and modernizing it"; and the closing title track which "adds an easy listening dynamic to the record, leaving for a light ending to a bold record." [12] Upset's Stephen Ackroyd calls the album, "in an unstable world", "a record that's raw, honest, but also determined and stronger than ever", making a catharsis that "feels important, both for the band and everyone else." [14]

In a marginally less positive review, Sputnikmusic's Jesper L. opens by quoting the "I'm 14 and this is deep" meme, noting "admittedly shaky lyricism" such as the chorus "I don't want to be right/But I know that it's true/I'm dead inside/I hate me too" and "Sick and tired as the world keeps spinning around/Am I losing my head?" as not "exactly profound or in need of any interpretation whatsoever", but still "highly capable of opening up conversations about mental health among the target demographic of trap-infused pop punk." It's "a shame that As It Is have proven incapable of maturing alongside their audience" but "their attempts at destigmatising such topics haven't changed either." The album overall is "a collection of songs that suck, rule, or simply exist, without any regards for cohesion or flow." [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alistair Testo, Patty Walters, Ronald Ish, and Zach Jones, with additional writers noted.

I Went to Hell and Back track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."IDGAF"Mike Pepe2:59
2."I Lie to Me" 2:48
3."ILY, How Are You?" 2:11
4."IDC, I Can't Take It" 3:02
5."I'd Rather Die" 2:44
6."I Miss 2003" 3:43
7."I'm Sick and Tired" 2:30
8."I Want to See God" 2:15
9."In Threes" (featuring Set It Off and JordyPurp) Cody Carson, JordyPurp3:05
10."I Hate Me Too" 2:58
11."I'm Gone"Blake Roses, Jon Lundin3:01
12."I Die 1000x" 2:47
13."I Can't Feel a Thing" (featuring The Word Alive) Telle Smith 3:24
14."I Went to Hell and Back" 2:53
Total length:40:20

Personnel

As It Is

Additional musicians

Technical

Related Research Articles

<i>Suffer</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Bad Religion

Suffer is the third studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label. Following the release of the EP Back to the Known (1985), Bad Religion went on a temporary hiatus, then reunited with its original members and went to work on their first full-length studio album in five years.

<i>Kerrang!</i> British rock, punk and heavy metal music magazine

Kerrang! is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd. The magazine was named onomatopoeically after the sound of a "guitar being struck with force".

<i>Technical Ecstasy</i> 1976 studio album by Black Sabbath

Technical Ecstasy is the seventh studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, produced by guitarist Tony Iommi and released in October 1976 by Vertigo Records. The album received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, peaking at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and number 51 on the US Billboard 200 Album chart, later being certified Gold by the RIAA in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creeper (band)</span> English rock band

Creeper are an English rock band from Southampton. Formed in 2014, the group originally featured vocalist Will Gould, guitarists Ian Miles and Sina Nemati, bassist Sean Scott, and drummer Dan Bratton. The band independently released their self-titled debut EP in 2014, before signing with Roadrunner Records and issuing follow-up The Callous Heart the next year. At the end of 2015, Nemati was replaced by Oliver Burdett and touring keyboardist/second vocalist Hannah Greenwood became an official band member. A third EP, The Stranger, was released in 2016 and reached the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart top ten.

<i>Enemy of the World</i> 2010 studio album by Four Year Strong

Enemy of the World is the fourth studio album by American rock band Four Year Strong. It is the final album to feature keyboardist Josh Lyford prior to his departure from the band in April 2011.

<i>There Is a Hell Believe Me Ive Seen It. There Is a Heaven Lets Keep It a Secret.</i> 2010 studio album by Bring Me the Horizon

There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret. is the third studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. It was released on 4 October 2010 by Visible Noise. The album was produced by Fredrik Nordström and Henrick Udd at IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden, with additional work at Sunset Lodge Studios in Los Angeles, California. It features guest vocals from Canadian singer Lights, British singer Josh Franceschi, and American vocalist Josh Scogin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Never Ends</span> 2010 single by Bring Me the Horizon

"It Never Ends" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by Fredrik Nordström and Henrick Udd, it was featured on the band's 2010 third studio album There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 20 August 2010, and was the band's first song to chart when it reached number 103 on the UK Singles Chart, number 3 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and number 11 on the UK Independent Singles Chart.

<i>Radiosurgery</i> (album) 2011 studio album by New Found Glory

Radiosurgery is the seventh studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was first released on October 3, 2011, in Europe, before its US release on October 4 through independent label Epitaph Records. It is the band's final studio album to feature founding guitarist Steve Klein. To follow up predecessor Not Without a Fight (2009), the band began writing new material during their stint on the 2010 Honda Civic Tour. After self-producing a set of demos and contacting long-term record producer Neal Avron, the band went on to record the album in Avron's home recording studio over a period of three months in 2011. The quintet set out to write an album that paid homage to classic punk rock records that first inspired them to form a band during the 1990s. Listening extensively to the likes of early Green Day and Ramones, New Found Glory strove to create a sound that could "bridge the gap" between old and new generations of the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Set It Off (band)</span> American rock band

Set It Off is an American rock band formed in 2008 in Tampa, Florida. The band consists of lead vocalist Cody Carson, guitarist and bassist Zach DeWall, and drummer Maxx Danziger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beartooth (band)</span> American rock band

Beartooth is an American rock band founded by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Shomo in Columbus, Ohio, in 2012. Originally Shomo performed every instrument when in the studio, before being joined by a four-piece band. Beartooth has been signed to Red Bull Records since 2013; its debut EP Sick was released on July 26, 2013, followed by the debut full-length album Disgusting on June 10, 2014. Since then, Shomo has released a further three studio albums under the Beartooth moniker: Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018), and Below (2021). The band's fifth studio album, The Surface, was released on October 13, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">As It Is (band)</span> British-American rock band

As It Is are a British-American rock band based in Brighton, England. The band was formed in 2012, and signed to Fearless Records in 2014. Following a hiatus, they reunited under Slam Dunk Records.

<i>Never Happy, Ever After</i> 2015 studio album by As It Is

Never Happy, Ever After is the debut studio album by British pop punk band As It Is. Following four self-released EPs, the band signed to Fearless Records in October 2014. A week after the signing, the band went to record with producer James Paul Wisner in St. Cloud, Florida, United States. Never Happy, Ever After was released through Fearless on 20 April 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood Youth</span> English hardcore punk band

Blood Youth was an English hardcore punk band formed in Harrogate in 2014. They released three studio albums, two EPs and a short-form documentary produced by Kerrang!.

<i>Okay</i> (album) 2017 studio album by As It Is

Okay is the second studio album by British pop punk band As It Is.

<i>Eternity, in Your Arms</i> 2017 studio album by Creeper

Eternity, in Your Arms is the debut studio album by English rock band Creeper. Released on 24 March 2017 by Roadrunner Records, it was produced by Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House in the band's hometown of Southampton, where the band had previously recorded their first three extended plays (EPs) – 2014's Creeper, 2015's The Callous Heart and 2016's The Stranger – also with Kennedy. The album is primarily categorised as horror punk, although it has also been described by critics as incorporating elements of pop punk, glam rock and post-hardcore into both its lyrical content and musical styles.

<i>Final Transmission</i> 2019 studio album by Cave In

Final Transmission is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Cave In. The album was released on June 7, 2019, through Hydra Head Records. Final Transmission is Cave In's first studio album in eight years since 2011's White Silence and marks the final recordings of bassist Caleb Scofield, who died in a car crash a year prior to the album's release. The band promoted the album with online streams of "All Illusion" and "Shake My Blood" prior to its release. It is the final album released by Hydra Head Records before the label folded in 2020, with Cave In's back catalogue being returned to them.

Pagan were an Australian band from Melbourne, Victoria formed in 2013. Their music merges the sounds of black metal, disco and punk rock. Their track "Heavy Repeater" peaked at number one on Triple J's punk/metal chart.

<i>The Hell We Create</i> 2022 studio album by Fit for a King

The Hell We Create is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band Fit for a King. It was released on October 28, 2022, through Solid State Records and was produced by Drew Fulk. It is the band's first release with drummer Trey Celaya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gel (band)</span> American hardcore band

Gel is an American hardcore punk band from New Jersey. Formed in 2018 as a side project of powerviolence band Sick Shit, Gel has released one full-length album, two EPs, one demo, and one split mini album. Huw Baines of NME credited them for "shaping the sound of hardcore in 2023".

<i>Intellectual Property</i> (album) 2023 studio album by Waterparks

Intellectual Property is the fifth studio album by American pop rock band Waterparks, released on April 14, 2023, as the band's only album released on Fueled by Ramen.

References

  1. "As It Is are back with their new single, "IDGAF"". Upset. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  2. Ruskell, Nick (5 August 2021). "As It Is release new single, "I Lie to Me"". Kerrang!. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  3. Carter, Emily (3 September 2021). "As It Is share two new singles ahead of Slam Dunk Festival". Kerrang!. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  4. Ruskell, Nick (11 November 2021). "As It Is announce new album with killer new song "I Miss 2003"". Kerrang!. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  5. Carter, Emily (9 December 2021). "As It Is drop "intensely dark" new single "In Threes", featuring Set It Off and JodyPurp". Kerrang!. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Richardson, Jake (1 February 2022). "Album review: As It Is - I Went to Hell and Back". Kerrang!. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. Rogers, Jack (11 November 2021). "As It Is Have Announced Their New Album I Went to Hell and Back". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  8. Shoemaker, Whitney (9 September 2019). "As It Is guitarist Ben Langford-Biss announces departure from band". Alternative Press . Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  9. Rogers, Jack (29 December 2020). "As It Is Drummer Patrick Foley Has Parted Ways With the Band to Become a Firefighter". Rock Sound. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  10. Stevens, Samuel (2 February 2022). "As It Is - I Went to Hell and Back". Crucial Rhythm. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  11. 1 2 Bird, Katie (31 January 2022). "Album Review: I Went to Hell and Back - As It Is". Distorted Sound. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  12. 1 2 Timms, Tabitha (4 February 2022). "Album Review: As It Is - I Went to Hell and Back". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Review: As It Is - I Went to Hell and Back". Sputnikmusic. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  14. 1 2 Ackroyd, Stephen (10 March 2022). "As It Is - I Went to Hell and Back". Upset. Retrieved 24 April 2022.