Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby

I Am Alpha And Omega are a post-hardcore band from New Jersey that formed in early 2007. They started by releasing two EPs, 'Georgia May' and 'The War I Wage'. There was much anticipation for their first full length release 'The Roar And The Whisper' as a free download on Come & Live! Records. They had set themselves at the screamo end of the hardcore scene which led to numerous comparisons with Underoath. When asked about the album title they stated, "God roars into our lives to get our attention and grabs us and sometimes he whispers to heal us and to comfort us." They gently ease you into "The Last Breath Of Self-Expectancy" with its electro interlude before letting rip a spine-chilling growl, "We pray your presence come down." This is followed by an up-tempo slice of melodic hardcore in "The Lost and the Captor" with harsh vocals "Vicious and tense he hides/Smiling at prideful hearts demise/Demons, they come in shredding waves/Waiting/Wanting/Weakness" followed by the clean vocal chorus of "My Father whispers, you were bought with a price/His eyes are fixed on mine, heal scars too many to hide/His love envelopes, His love is taking me home". There are contrasting moments of light and shade throughout, with "Irreversible" mainly having clear vocals and alt-rock riffing, and the brutality in "Deceiver" is offset by melodic guitar parts. One of my favourites is "Wolves" with its chiming riffs and anthemic chorus. There are several short tracks that act as interludes throughout the album and it does make for a relatively short running time. They finish with an electro-rock worship track with clean vocals.

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