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Stage Four
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Stage Four Image
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 35 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth full-length release for the Los Angeles-based post-hardcore band led by Jeremy Bolm was influenced by the death of Bolm's mother from cancer and produced by Brad Wood.
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Top Track

Flowers and You
I'm heartsick And well rehearsed Highly decorated With a badge that reads "It could be worse" So prideful I choose To live in disguise With a levee... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. The A.V. Club
    Sep 16, 2016
    91
    Stage Four reverberates because it’s a concept album, the tracks linear and part of the greater whole.
  2. The 405
    Sep 22, 2016
    90
    Named both in recognition of this being the band’s fourth studio album and for the passing of lead singer Jeremy Bolm’s mother from cancer in 2014, Stage Four is a towering record. Few albums this year, if any, have felt more capable of telling such vivid, striking stories with such clarity and palpable emotion.
  3. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Sep 29, 2016
    90
    Stage Four is bigger in scope and is a flourishing sound thanks to Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt on the guitars. They craft something subtle, where less is more. Elliot Babin's drums aren't as relentless as before and this too works in their favor because it allows the vocal lmessage to seep in. Deeper and deeper.
  4. Kerrang!
    Sep 15, 2016
    80
    It's a record that feels truly alive, filled with sorrow, guilt, selflessness and love. [17 Sep 2016, p.52]
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  5. Revolver
    Oct 13, 2016
    80
    Touché Amoré’s music has always been intensely autobiographical and that introspection has reached peak levels on its fourth full-length, Stage Four.
  6. Alternative Press
    Sep 16, 2016
    80
    The result is a beautifully sad collision of melody-drenched, aggressive art rock that retains plenty of the fast-paced intensity the band's perfected. [Oct 2016, p.90]
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  7. Consequence
    Sep 20, 2016
    67
    Much of what makes Touché Amoré a success remains intact: the band jamming away behind Bolm, supporting and expanding his “slam poetry.” But, oh what wonderful poetry it has become, as Bolm dives into the depths of his cortex as he comes to terms with the death of his mother in 2014.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. DavidCall360
    Sep 17, 2016
    10
    This album is incredibly powerful. There is so much emotion seeping through Jeremy Bolms lyrics. This album elevates what Touché Amoré haveThis album is incredibly powerful. There is so much emotion seeping through Jeremy Bolms lyrics. This album elevates what Touché Amoré have done on their previous albums to the fullest capacity. So full of heartbreaking and extremely moving lyrics accompanied by a perfect mix of aggression and beauty from the music. I highly recommend this album if you are a fan of this band or melodic hardcore.… Expand
  2. guydexa
    Mar 19, 2021
    10
    Cant get through this this without crying every single time.... its simply beautiful.
  4. BrushedRed
    Sep 20, 2016
    10
    Okay first of all best album I've heard this year. Second, Consequence of Sound should be ashamed of their review acting like he should beOkay first of all best album I've heard this year. Second, Consequence of Sound should be ashamed of their review acting like he should be over the death of his mother in just two years. Have you lost you mother? That stays with you until you die.. not just two years.… Expand
  5. stndstllsntmv
    Apr 27, 2017
    9
    Jeremy Bolm has an incredible amount of lyricism shining through on this project. The death of a loved one, especially your mother, can beJeremy Bolm has an incredible amount of lyricism shining through on this project. The death of a loved one, especially your mother, can be very difficult. Cancer is a beast that comes through and never stops eating away at the person who has it. This is a glaring emotional wreck of a man after watching his mother wither away for years. I think that there is plenty of reason to think this album is beautiful. I have been through this and it is a very relatable experience. He was bargaining and denying everything. He wasn't ready. That is what this album is. A boy screaming for his mother lost in a department store, but he's never going to find her again.… Expand
  6. kualaa
    Oct 21, 2016
    1
    Okay first of all best album I've heard this year. Second, Consequence of Sound should be ashamed of their review acting like he should beOkay first of all best album I've heard this year. Second, Consequence of Sound should be ashamed of their review acting like he should be over the death of his mother in just two years. Have you lost you mother? That stays with you until you die.. not just two years.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Album of 2016

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