I cannot really claim to have known the name The Destiny Program prior to receiving the promo of their latest release "Subversive Blueprint", but it looks like I could be excused for that after all as the band has been carrying this specific name for only one year. The reason? It was line up problems and copyright issues, which forced the band to abandon their not so different original name Destiny. Well, things like that happen all the time in the music industry - what's of more importance here is that Johannes Formella's (vocals) quartet is just about to release their third full length release, so let's see what's on offer here.

The vast majority of the twelve compositions that are featured in "Subversive Blueprint" are the result of a formula whose main ingredients consist of heavy/rhythmical staccato guitar riffs, accompanied by insane screaming vocals and melodic/catchy refrains and with that in mind, I cannot see how any other term than Emo/Metalcore would be more appropriate in describing the band's music. Now, this specific genre has been dramatically overcrowded over the past few years, so I guess the question here is: what is it that the members of this band can provide that has not been offered to us before?

Frankly speaking, there was not a single moment in this release where I felt even remotely surprised by what I was getting exposed to and that is not a very positive thing as far as I'm concerned.

The mid tempo staccato riffs and screamo vocals that are clearly audible in the first two compositions of the album, namely "The Personal Revolution" and "Project Hoax" sound so terribly similar that I often couldn't tell them apart, so it is no surprise that I seek refuge from the more atmospheric compositions such as "Welcome Overboard" and "Dreva". I was happy to see the band's attempt towards creating more complicated/technical compositions, but judging by what I heard in "Escape The Living Plan" and "The Frequency" there is still much work to be done in that field. My thirst for something ‘special’ was satisfied only by the last two compositions of the album, "With A Modern Punk Flavor" and "Mithra" respectively - the former being a fast paced dirty anthem based on a really cool groovy riff and the latter an atmospheric but heavy composition that features a nicely performed piano ending theme.

If you are a fan of typical Emo/Metalcore music and you don't mind a few twists and turns then "Subversive Blueprint" is definitely an album for you. Personally speaking, I am much more demanding when it comes to this specific genre and having said that, I fail to see how I will ever get motivated enough to listen to this release again in the near/far future.

***

Review by John Stefanis