by Stewart Mason
Positive-themed post-hardcore from a young band, The Cycle of Hope is an admirably intense set of 11 all-out punk tunes with a slight metalcore influence in the hoarsely screamed vocals. If that sounds like a fairly generic description that could apply to dozens of different albums, that's because A Love Ends Suicide are, in fact, an entirely generic band. There is nothing wrong with The Cycle of Hope overall, but it's entirely utilitarian post-hardcore, all blastbeat drums, unison-riffing guitars, and start-stop dynamics. To be fair, the band does what it does quite well; it's difficult to find fault with the sentiments expressed in the lyrics (to the extent that they can be understood), and there are occasional flashes of interest, such as the unexpected arrangement and time signature shifts in "Another Revolution." Overall, however, there is little new or exciting about this album.