It truly is a shame that the metal subculture has separated itself so vehemently from the mainstream music scene, or the “pop” scene, if you will. While it is understandable that a genre that prides itself in emphasizing technique rather than image would seek to distance itself from the part of the music industry where most value is placed on superficiality, it does have a counterproductive effect in alienating listeners and musicians to such an extent that when a real gem does in fact show up it gets ignored and dismissed out of hand more often than not. Paramore’s sophomore album Riot! is one such gem.

Hailing from Tennessee, Paramore deliver a light-hearted yet energetic pop-punk-metal hybrid that while obviously catering principally to a musically lazy audience nevertheless retain many elements in their sound and songwriting that are interesting enough to merit attention. Paramore relies principally on melodic hooks to keep the listener’s attention, whether in the chorus or in the riffing. The structures are relatively simple, although slightly more complex than what their scene peers manage to do, focusing on creating a strong and memorable melodic line while creating enough variation within the song to maintain the listener’s interest. Whether it’s the verse, interlude, bridge or chorus, almost each single part of every song has an absurdly catchy melody, driven mostly by the vocals and supported by embellishing guitar harmonies and counterpoint. A fine example of this is That’s What You Get. Although the melody is poppy almost to the point of exaggeration (but not beyond), the arrangement is so skilfully done that it shouldn’t even be noticeable. Percussion, while simplistic in comparison to the Portnoys and Pearts of the world, is interestingly spaced and balanced for maximum effect in one of Paramore’s favourite tricks, namely dynamic games. Alternating soft/loud parts are executed quite seamlessly, and the flow of the crescendos is excellent. Drummer Zac Farro demonstrates that his role as drummer goes beyond providing simple rhythm, and this makes the listening experience all the more enjoyable for that.

While none of the musicians are technical wizards or particularly innovative, they all play their parts flawlessly, going neither beyond nor below what is necessary, avoiding both cluttering up the songs or leaving too much empty space. Vocalist Hayley Williams is both talented and passionate, albeit slightly drab at times, but it in the end it is her emotionality and vigour that cinches the deal for this album. Displaying an impressive set of vocal pipes, especially for someone her age, Williams provides the counterweight to the biggest weakness Paramore has: compositional repetitiveness. While their formula works quite well, they do tend to rely a bit too much on it, with the result of coming across as a one trick pony. While this may prove damaging for their career as a whole, it is a minor issue on this record. Listening is not a chore, due to both its surprisingly short running time (clocking in at just under 40 minutes) and to Williams’ infectiously energetic singing (which is equally if not more enjoyable live, as can be heard on the live album The Final Riot). It’s also very easy to get into, as the production values are excellent, and every instrument sounds clean, precise and crisp. Drums are aggressive when necessary and always full enough to fill the space, and the guitars sound crunchy when playing rhythm and sharp and clean when playing lead.

Ultimately, whether or not you like this album will depend on your personal tastes. If you don’t mind catchy hooks, poppy choruses, and a singer who sometimes sounds like Avril Lavigne on crack, then by all means, do yourself a favour and check this out. However, a quick trip to the band’s myspace page should provide enough information as to what your reaction is likely to be. Since each song has the same key elements (it is, after all, quite formulaic), it should be easy to get a sense of the entire album by listening to one or two songs. It is, however, still an excellent piece of music and well worth the buy, as each song, regardless of repetition, will stand out and provide greatly enjoyable melodies as well as fist-pumping bursts of energy.