SkylinePress.net

It is pretty common for hardcore all-star bands to come up out of nowhere. It’s what they do. Friends tour together, share practice spaces, eventually people play together. This band though, well… it’s about as star studded as it gets, and damnit their star shines bright. Fronted by Timm McIntosh (of Trial and Champion), with guitar work by Roger Kilburn (of Love is Red and Sinking Ships) and Chris Jacobsen (from Set Your Goals), and drums tracked for Seasons by Alexei Rodriguez (of Trial and Walls of Jericho), it’s pretty clear to see that this group knows exactly what they’re doing.

Continuing on the straight edge hardcore sound, Seattle’s Wait in Vain churns out fast paced hardcore songs that illicit sing-a-longs and two stepping from fans worldwide with lyrical content that is really second to none, focusing strongly on Timm’s life experiences that all of us as people can relate to. Musically it reminds me a lot of their former efforts; it has a really strong Champion feel to it, which I can back completely as I was pretty big on them prior to their untimely end.

The title track “Seasons” is one of the better songs on the album. It sucks you in no matter what is going on around you, which is the true power of a song like this. It is impossible to listen to Wait in Vain without focusing primarily on their music, there’s not much “background listening” quality to this album. This is energetic, attention stealing hardcore at its finest. The puritan hardcore fans will fall in love with this record immediately. 8/10

EvilNeedles.com

You could say this CD has a flashback effect, but I'd call it more of a boomerang effect. Wait In Vain has the strength and members to fuel a full on hardcore revolution. Driven by meaty, chugging guitars and fast-forward tempos along with thought provoking lyrics, Seasons is heavy hitting on the ears and mind. Every once in a while I miss the 1990's. I miss skateboarding with my boyfriend. And this disc gives me the feeling of bringing it all back.

WayTooLoud.com

Thanks to the many bands in hardcore, a few subgenres have emerged from that one genre. In the last half the 90's, Trial was very active amongst the hardcore scene. Now eight years after their departure (not including the three reunion shows in 2005), Wait In Vain has surfaced into the hardcore scene with a veteran four-man line-up that includes two ex-Trial members.

Wait In Vain plays the very familiar style of political, straight-edge melodic hardcore. Although they aren't exactly covering new ground in their debut album, "Seasons", they have taken their solid hardcore formula from past bands and created a sound that is ferocious and untamed while at the same time technical, credible, and passionate.

While "Seasons" is a strong effort for the Seattle quartet, hopefully in the near future they will take their skill and experience and expand on their sound. 4/5

HowsYourEdge.com

I really enjoy Wait In Vain. I always have. I mean, check my gushing review of their demo. I was all about that demo and rocked it regularly. It has a northwest feel for sure, but it was larger than that. This LP is a little back in the Northwest niche. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but
definitely a little more stereotypical of my expectations of Northwest Hardcore. I'm sure Aram would disagree, but then again, he wears a guard on his x-rated swatch. Yeap.

The music is good, no doubt, and the art direction on the LP sets it over the top. I really dig the style of the art, and I really think it fits well with Wait In Vain as band. It captures their feel and concepts. Shout outs to the photographer and Timm on executing a dope layout.

These guys are touring pretty hard right now so make sure to go check them out. Also feel free to try your luck on Ebay. Maybe you can pick up an older tee or something. Pretend you've been down since '05.

PunkNews.org

Wait in Vain is a rare newer-era hardcore band whose makeup reads like an impressive list of bands and less like guyliner and mascara. Vocalist Timm McInotosh was a guitarist for Trial and Champion; guitarist Roger Kilburn has spent time with Love Is Red, Stay Gold and Sinking Ships; fellow guitarist Chris Jacobsen was in Set Your Goals; and the drummer on Seasons' recording, Alexei Rodriguez, has done time with Walls of Jericho, Trial and even 3 Inches of Blood.

With all this experience behind their belts, you'd think Seasons would be a more original release, and it's not -- but the album is done so well, its familiarity becomes more of an endearing trait than a distraction. When McIntosh, who sings in a rather straightforward and gruff delivery, shouts "I remember those days!" in the standout title track, you don't get upset that it practically sounds like a tribute to Chain of Strength's "Too Deep Until Now" (besides the fact that McIntosh is cathartically singing about a friend lost to suicide nearly a decade ago), but rather you happily reminisce (if you're, like, 35) or just get stoked. But through the course of the record, McIntosh is more about poetic desperation and a quest for truth (the God interrogation "Q And...") and never about rehashing straight-edge themes or what have you.

While looking at that above list doesn't always hold true for the base of Wait in Vain's sound, it certainly helps; Seasons carries traces of both Trial and Champion (as well as those bands' elder influences like COS, Judge and Burn), and Kilburn's signature guitar tone often bleeds through, giving the teasing feeling you're listening to new Sinking Ships material. You can simply tell it's him when he starts riffing in "Forget Me Not" and "Puritan," or adds those melodic frills to the aforementioned "Seasons."

Seasons is a very solid and uniform debut, seeing Wait in Vain stretch their creative muscle a bit from their now three-year-old demo and exploring dark and interesting themes through a fresh transitive vibe.

ScenePointBlank.com

When you look at the list of previous ventures from the members of Wait in Vain, it's hard to not get excited. Frontman Timm McIntosh was a founding member of Trial, as well as spending some time with Champion. Bassist (and now guitarist) Roger Kilburn was in Sinking Ships among others, guitarist Chris Jacobsen did some time with Set Your Goals, and drummer Alexei Rodriquez has played with Trial and Walls of Jericho. That's quite a list! But don't let those musical endeavors hold back what Wait in Vain has to offer.

Seasons is the Seattle straightedge band's debut full-length, and first recording since a demo back in 2005. After being plagued with numerous lineup difficulties the band finally has a sturdy cast to deliver its message with. This recording is ten tracks of 90's inspired metallic hardcore that is complimented by lyrics that are equally as thought provoking.

For the get go of “Another Year” it is undeniable that there is an influence from several of the members previous efforts, particularly Trial. But with McIntosh being the principal songwriter then and now, it is almost expected. The music is aggressive with a definite chug of 90's in it, but there is almost infused a substantial amount of melody; I often found myself referencing Ignite. Tracks like “Forget Me Not” demonstrates this fully, flexing the line between the 90's sounds that McIntosh helped trail blaze and those that Killburn most recently tackled with Sinking Ships. On the flipside, when Wait in Vain decides to hit it hard, they bring it all. “A Blind Eye” has two solid breakdowns, definitely heavy to get kids moving on the floor. “The Fix,” re-recorded from the demo, and “White Picket Fences” round things out with an excellent balancing of heavy chug and fast-paced melodic hardcore.

Lyrically, McIntosh is still tied to the worlds of politics and social issues that were covered in Trial, but he's also taken the step to cover more personal topics as well (not that vocalist Greg Bennick didn't in Trial). Some of McIntosh's best lines come at his most personal reveals. For example, on “Seasons” he recalls the loss of a close friend and the dealing with them being gone. “Passions Just Like Mine” discusses the abandonment of dreams for a normal life while “Puritan” attacks the world of consumers and need for possessions. Overall, it's a varied set of lyrics.

Following a gap of inactivity, the return of Wait in Vain is a welcome one. Musically things are solid throughout, though at times a little repetitive. Lyrically, McIntosh has something to talk about, and in this day and age when there is a lot going on in the world, we need more bands like this. If you miss the 90's or just love what the Pacific Northwest has to offer, don't pass this album up.

HangingHex.com

I don’t want to be one of those guys who takes someone from a band and compares whatever they do presently against their past (and mostly more recognized) accomplishments. Still, I can’t hold back in this case. This really sounds like Trial. A lot. Far be it from me to complain about such a thing, so I hope Timm McIntosh isn’t reading this and getting pissed. He’s got a style and it works well. In fact, there’s a serious lack of bands that can do this right- that being modern fast hardcore with a penchant for, I guess you could say, metal drumming. Ya know, good breakdowns, tons of double bass parts that are far from cheesy and lyrics that actually mean something. This sounds like it was dredged out from 1998 and announced itself by giving everyone within spitting distance a big, fat black eye. Now, I also get the vibe that McIntosh pretty much writes the bulk of these songs, as well as the lyrics because he has a great way of keeping a good flow with the music and lyrics to match up very well in terms of the highs and lows, rallying cries, and so forth. This is most noticeable on the last track, “White Picket Fences”, totally raging in all respects. Oh yeah, nice Clash quote at the end too. Yeah, this is definitely a case of a group taking a bit of an older sound and giving it proper respect for the here and now, doing it extremely well.

Uneven Ground Fanzine

Everyone knows vocalist Timm McIntosh played guitar in Trial. Does that mean this sounds like Trial? Not exactly the same but lots of similarities. I guess it gives me the same vibe as "Are These Our Lives". If you liked Trial I can basically guarantee you'll like this. I love it, great lyrics and great arrangements with layered guitar parts, intense stuff.

World's Appreciated Kitsch

Seattle straight edge is back on the map...Fronted by Timm Mcintosh (formerly of Trial and Champion), Wait In Vain is undoubtedly a band that you have to put your attention at. They also feature members of Sinking Ships and Set Your Goals on the guitars, while the drums of 'Seasons' were recorded by Alexei Rodriguez (Trial, Walls Of Jericho). Besides all that 'all star band' hype, Wait In Vain is a unique band, that I dare to say has managed to become influential with only a couple of years of existence. I also dare to say that Wait In Vain are today's Trial. Word. Their first full length (they have a demo out, released by Catalyst Records in vinyl format, as well) includes 10 songs of hardcore music and culture, in the vein of Trial, Burn, Judge and Verse. The production is rad, while the technique of the band's members is of a high level and that leads to a high quality result. Don't expect beatdowns and 'true till death' cries, don't even expect straight edge cliches and shitty statements. This is music that touches your heart & mind. What I like the most are the lyrics, they are deep and thorough. You can check some explanations at their myspace site, as well.'Seasons' were originally released by the awesome label Think Fast Records on CD format, while Panic Records (Seattle based label, owned by Timm Mcintosh if I'm right, home for Outrage, Another Breath and At Half Mast, among others) put it out in vinyl, limited to 500 copies. I know that you don't care but I'm lucky enough to own one of the 100 copies in blue grey haze vinyl, ha! It's a pity that Wait In Vain had to cancel some of their shows from the 2 months european tour with Outrage last summer / September, so we cancelled their Greek show as well... Maybe next time, even if I see that they are a bit inactive nowadays...