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| Buy this album |
If you like your Metalcore like your frosted mini wheats (i.e., sweet but substantial) you'll have to look elsewhere as Trevor Phipps and company may have just thrown down the microphone declaring Metalcore to be dead. After the breakout success of The Oncoming Storm Unearth have returned with a vengeful III: In the Eyes of Fire that is, to complete the metaphor, all substance and no artificial sweetener (read: saccharine vocals). The descriptor for this band should now be METALcore because the Heavy Metal elements have been drastically increased while the Hardcore component is still there, primarily vocally and in the breakdowns, naturally. Sonically the abuse has been brought to a new level. Why? The whole thing was produced, recorded & mixed by Terry Date (of Pantera fame, among others), that's why. Now the guitars shred, bleed, and grind with abandon but a bit more volume, the bass still thickens the sound over drums that push, punish, and pummel, while the vocals maintain enough clarity in their abrasive Hardcore fashion to complete the picture. That there is no singing truly is a godsend.
Musically there are tidbits of lotsa genres and subgenres. There is old school Thrash, several moments of 1984-1988 Metallica, some Iron Maiden creeps in now and again, Hardcore breakdowns galore, plain ol' Metal brutality, and a nod or two to Lamb of God, perhaps. The lyrics are well thought out, positive, and rather mature. Some songs even approach epic nature with the progression of notes and passages, none more apparent than "March of the Mutes." This very solid album is paced very well from start to finish and this band, now more than ever, deserve the hype so often afforded them. If you only have room in your diet for one band in this now (thankfully) dying genre, make it Unearth.* Their talent and musicianship is outstanding in an oversaturated and bloated field of clones, pretenders, and wannabes. At least you don't have to fear clean vocals anymore. Y'know, even Trivium (who have shed their Metalcoreness) seems to have kicked that habit. It is worth noting that the album closer is a strangely named instrumental track that really kicks a lot of ass, almost going Prog Rock in there at times.
[*Well, unless you hate breakdowns, that is.]
| Tracklist |
| 1. This Glorious Nightmare |
| 2. Giles |
| 3. March Of The Mutes |
| 4. Sanctity Of Brothers |
| 5. The Devil Has Risen |
| 6. This Time Was Mine |
| 7. Unstoppable |
| 8. So It Goes |
| 9. Impostors Kingdom |
| 10. Bled Dry |
| 11. Big Bear And The Hour Of Chaos |
: 43.53
| Buy other Unearth albums |
