It’s not hard to get lost within the jungle of today’s metalcore scene. Too many bands crawled from out of nowhere during the last decade and started mixing everything that ever was in heavy music, only to end up sounding identical to each other. And now here go the hardened by the cold Alaskans from 36 Crazyfists – with more than ten years and four albums behind their backs, ready for the tide to sweep them to the shores of well deserved success. Their new album is a serious statement for the above mentioned success. There is a sign of hardening of the sound shown in songs like opener “The All Night Lights” and “Absent Are The Saints”. There are solid metalcore riffs a-la As I Lay Dying and breakdowns, followed by clearly sung choruses. The formula isn’t unheard of but well practiced in this occasion. The album, though, does possess other elements, coming from the band’s more alternative past, separating them from the crowd – like the first single “We Gave It Hell” which strikes with thick groove metal riffs. More melodic songs like “The Back Harlow Road” and “When Distance Is The Closest Reminder” are inevitable but very catchy. “Only A Year Or So…” is another interesting track, featuring narrative of letters sent by a soldier at the front and his lonely wife waiting back home. In “Vast And Vague” guest vocalist Candace from Walls Of Jericho shows that she can sing, adding extra depth to the song. Adam from label mates Twelve Tribes makes a throat tearing guest appearance in “Clear The Coast”. The production carried out by the band’s guitarist Steve Holt is top notch, as mixing is made by none other than Andy Sneap. “The Tide And Its Takers” is a diverse enough modern metalcore album that is also full of alternative elements and melodic songs where 36 Crazyfists truly shine. And after such a solid effort it would be totally deserved if the tide takes them to the top.