CHOKING ON ILLUSIONS is a Melodic Hardcore band based out of Germany, formed in 2008. To date the band has released a Demo, two EPs, and a full-length album in 2012. "Rest-less" is the band's second full-length release, and contains eleven tracks. The 40-second "Intro" leads quickly into the title track, "Rest-less." There is a nice melody line underneath the Hardcore style, shouted vocals. In addition, the chorus is on full display in terms of both the singing style and the instrumentation. The melody really shines in the bridge that follows the second chorus. "Left Unsaid" is a little more in the traditional heaviness of the genre, but still with a lot of pleasing rhapsody. I have to admit that the combination of sounds here is both unexpected and welcomed. The ending section of the song could easily be something you hear on the radio. "13" sports a dissonance that marries nicely with the melody lines and the result is a song that really gives you everything you look for in this style. "Borderlines" is another winner with a swifter pace and a bit more angst. Once again however, they really let the track breath as well, focusing on the shifting of gears throughout. I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the presence of the instrumental, simply titled "Interlude." It features a soft, easy listening piano led melody that is both dark and bright at the same time. You can really feel the lamentation and emotion of the track "Broken Song," which has an attack tempered with sorrow and sensitivity. Towards the end they turn up the heaviness with a breakdown of sorts and some nimble guitar work. "L.O.V.E" is a sweet offering with equal parts of shouting and singing and a melody that you can hum along to, and it has an almost "Pop/Punk" quality to it here and there. Closing the album is the song "Baptism - Funeral." It rolls in slowly with some soft talking in the background and a lead guitar led main riff that holds back the bigger wall of sound that inevitably comes around. Melodic Hardcore sums up this sound nicely. At times and with a different vocal style, this could easily be Metalcore in terms of how much melody and harmony is offered during many of the tracks. It has enough of an edge to be Hardcore at its most basic level, but breaks through the typical repetitiveness that the genre can sometimes offer with great musical sensibility. I found solace in the complexities of their songwriting yet it maintained a nice accessibility at the same time. <