I very much enjoyed Every Time I Die's Radical and I was looking to get into more of them, having heard how significant they were as a band in the metal scene. I went for their next most recent album, Low Teens, and found myself most drawn to Map Change, a sentiment shared by most fans.
Map Change is an intriguingly anthemic track. In some ways, it reminds me of People Verses, although chronologically it would be the other way around. There's something strangely captivating about the mix of anger, hope and cynicism woven throughout the choruses, verses and breakdowns.
The chorus is undeniably one of the best parts of the song, and especially near the end, quite emotionally charged. It feels resolute and final, and the lyrics shine a light on the darker tones of the song's intent.
The verses as well as other sections are all so well done and written with intent. Every Time I Die has always had a knack for writing really cool, thought-provoking and powerful lyrics, but this song has a particularly stellar concentration of poetic substance. They keep switching from cynical and even comedic tones to serious and sentimental ones, but throughout the whole song there's a persistent sound of jaded anger and defeated peacefulness.
Despite the fervent and occasionally angry start to the song, by the end of it, the energy slowly decomposes into a burnt out and strained crooning. It's such a rare occurrence for songs and singers to have such a range of expressiveness, especially unconventional emotions like these. The final moments of the song are my absolute favourite, with one final screaming speech before cycling the chorus into a fade away.
Map Change is undeniably one of Every Time I Die's best pieces. It's artistic and full of sentiment, and has a very monumental feel, something which many songs fail to achieve. This song only further reinforces my positive impression of this band so far, and I'm quite excited to continue deep-diving into their back catalogue.
Rating: 5/5