by MacKenzie Wilson

The Casket Lottery's third studio full-length, Survival Is for Cowards, keeps with the band's vocal fire-eating while composing a sharp intellect. They've grown professionally and personally and the material exudes a passion -- classic emo, but without the frowning. The production is slick; Nathan Ellis and Stacy Hilt are vocally in sync while each song leaves an individual impression. An intensity similar to the likes of At the Drive-In grabs hold on tracks such as "What I Built Last Night" and "Code Red." Emotion scales down for a bittersweet disposition on the "The Bridge," whereas "Leaving Town" strips away the aggression furthermore. Survival Is for Cowards brings characteristic complexities to the forefront, turning them into melodies of anguish. It's not redundant or monotonous.