Post by dangerzone on Aug 16, 2006 13:43:40 GMT -5
Unearth 'III: In The Eyes Of Fire'
Metal Blade, 2006
Trevor Phipps- vocals
Ken Susi- guitar
Buz McGrath- guitar
John Maggard- bass
Mike Justian- drums
The much anticipated third album from Unearth is upon the world, the Massachusetts thrash act looking to continue the success of earlier releases 'The Sting Of Conscience' and 'The Ongoing Storm'. This is the era of metal that continues to pass before my eyes without interest and having only heard Unearth once before at Ozzfest 2004 faint hopes were held that this would exceed the minimal expectations that existed beforehand. Cited as part of the 'new wave of American heavy metal' with the likes of Shadows Falls and Lamb Of God, there's always been somewhat of a stigma surrounding these bands, as despite incredible speed and heaviness an intangible appears to be missing. Melody? Garbled vocals? Unearth fall into this category, and although murky vocals are a staple of extreme metal, there is a certain varaition lacking in the structure of much of the material of 'III'.
It does seem amazing that metal of this kind attains such high chart positions and sales, but Unearth have built a reputation for themselves through endless touring and hard work and from the speed evident on 'III' haven't taken the slower direction many of their peers have opted for, maintaining a thrash edge that many leave by the wayside. 'This Glorious Nightmare' is a well chosen starting track, decisively quick with all the riffs you could hope for with tortured lyrics. But after repeated listenings the whole album may as wll be this one track. The reason Slayer still dominate is their superior use of melody and structure, with fast sections that come out of nowhere. Unearth rely on the same blugeoning riff throughout, solid metal, but not sweeping enough in the different types of textures that could make them infintely better. Phipps vocals are of the typical growling variety that this genre is known for, and some clean vocals would mix things up nicely.
'Giles' should keep the die hard thrashers happy, while others such as 'March Of The Mutes' relies more on expansive chord changes and technical guitar solos. 'Sanctity Of Brothers' unleashes a wave of speed near the finale which is comprehensive in effect, and 'The Devil Has Risen' actually experiments with time signatures of varying speeds but the lack of vocal harmony diminishes the result. 'Impostors Kingdom' flirts with grindcore during the intro, and begs the listener to ask for more. Still to decipher these songs live would require mammoth dedication to try and separate them from the rest. In a hackneyed move the band attempts something a bit slower and gentler during 'Big Bear And The House Of Chaos', with piano noticable.
Far from terrible and one that should ensure the band more success, but the longetivity of this type of metal has to be called into question. It will never be classified as classic metal as the music is not memorable enough. Dosages of thrash are always acceptable as is extreme heaviness, but that does not always guarantee maintaining interest. The metal fans in 2006 must see something in Unearth, but this couldn't stand next to Slayer on three legs and whether it's played again by myself might never be known. The masters always find a way to confound what is the current taste. If Unearth are still here in 2026 they will have succeeded. 'III' is fitting of the time and place metal sits in 2006. And that's good enough for Unearth at least.
Rating: B
Metal Blade, 2006
Trevor Phipps- vocals
Ken Susi- guitar
Buz McGrath- guitar
John Maggard- bass
Mike Justian- drums
The much anticipated third album from Unearth is upon the world, the Massachusetts thrash act looking to continue the success of earlier releases 'The Sting Of Conscience' and 'The Ongoing Storm'. This is the era of metal that continues to pass before my eyes without interest and having only heard Unearth once before at Ozzfest 2004 faint hopes were held that this would exceed the minimal expectations that existed beforehand. Cited as part of the 'new wave of American heavy metal' with the likes of Shadows Falls and Lamb Of God, there's always been somewhat of a stigma surrounding these bands, as despite incredible speed and heaviness an intangible appears to be missing. Melody? Garbled vocals? Unearth fall into this category, and although murky vocals are a staple of extreme metal, there is a certain varaition lacking in the structure of much of the material of 'III'.
It does seem amazing that metal of this kind attains such high chart positions and sales, but Unearth have built a reputation for themselves through endless touring and hard work and from the speed evident on 'III' haven't taken the slower direction many of their peers have opted for, maintaining a thrash edge that many leave by the wayside. 'This Glorious Nightmare' is a well chosen starting track, decisively quick with all the riffs you could hope for with tortured lyrics. But after repeated listenings the whole album may as wll be this one track. The reason Slayer still dominate is their superior use of melody and structure, with fast sections that come out of nowhere. Unearth rely on the same blugeoning riff throughout, solid metal, but not sweeping enough in the different types of textures that could make them infintely better. Phipps vocals are of the typical growling variety that this genre is known for, and some clean vocals would mix things up nicely.
'Giles' should keep the die hard thrashers happy, while others such as 'March Of The Mutes' relies more on expansive chord changes and technical guitar solos. 'Sanctity Of Brothers' unleashes a wave of speed near the finale which is comprehensive in effect, and 'The Devil Has Risen' actually experiments with time signatures of varying speeds but the lack of vocal harmony diminishes the result. 'Impostors Kingdom' flirts with grindcore during the intro, and begs the listener to ask for more. Still to decipher these songs live would require mammoth dedication to try and separate them from the rest. In a hackneyed move the band attempts something a bit slower and gentler during 'Big Bear And The House Of Chaos', with piano noticable.
Far from terrible and one that should ensure the band more success, but the longetivity of this type of metal has to be called into question. It will never be classified as classic metal as the music is not memorable enough. Dosages of thrash are always acceptable as is extreme heaviness, but that does not always guarantee maintaining interest. The metal fans in 2006 must see something in Unearth, but this couldn't stand next to Slayer on three legs and whether it's played again by myself might never be known. The masters always find a way to confound what is the current taste. If Unearth are still here in 2026 they will have succeeded. 'III' is fitting of the time and place metal sits in 2006. And that's good enough for Unearth at least.
Rating: B