TRACKLIST:
1.Demon Class
2.Ghost Hunt
3.My Tongue
4.Luscious Damned
5.Below Zero
6.Alien Six
7.Palace of Glass
8.Fast and Furious
9. Summoned
10.Astronomica
TRACK BY TRACK ANALYSIS:
1.''Demon Class''
With this track I would easily classify this band's sound as Lamb of God meets Exodus.Regardless of wether or not the sub-genre actually exists,this could respond to the tag thrashcore in the sense that it has the breakdowns and raw rebellion of hardcore,matched with the razorsharp wall-to-wall fast riffage of thrash.Those are promising elements for someone who is a newcomer to this band's music,considering that the nod to modern Exodus is one that is very hard to gain from all the purists of this world.
2. ''Ghost Hunt''
I would say this one track is much more nuanced with a heavier focus on piling up the riffs and melodies as the track has its obvious breakdowns and peaks.In my book,this is a furious thrasher along the lines of ''Riot Act'' thrown into a more mainstream mold with a formula that is slightly more accessible to those who are fans of Fear Factory and Slipknot rather than the thrash metal maniacs.It is a song that could easily be embraced by both camps.The chorus has a dirty and in-your-face guitar sound,and the verses do have some explosive riffage to them,but the recognizable patterns of a more mainstream approach are undeniable.
3. ''My Tongue''
I have to wonder exactly what this cliché stinker of a track is doing amongst such promising choice cuts.The lyrics are such a blatant,hilarious stereotype of rock and metal attitude,it definitely makes it a painful listen.I can hear no solid riffage in this track at all.It is mostly about the stripped frontman fantasyzing over his badass image with absolutely no musical substance to back-up his little parade.I suggest that you skip this one.It would have fit more accurately into a hair metal context than on a disc like this one.
4. ''Luscious Damned''
What we have here is the most clear example of how I described this band's sound earlier on: ''thrashcore''.This track manages to contain a ridiculous amount of breakdowns while remaining a very interesting ride from start to finish.I have always hated Hot Topic mallcore with a passion and I have to admit most hardcore bands do fit within this sorry category nowadays.A song like ''Luscious Damned'' retains the true drive of what hardcore should've remained when Pantera brought it to the table and Hatebreed followed on before the emocore scene turned all the anger contained within the sub-genre into absolute dust.The breakdowns are healthy hardcore mixed with modern thrash metal insanity that totally convinces me it's been copied and pasted from Exodus' newer formula,down to the vocals.But since I am an eager fan of this sound,I cannot complain.To say that it is original would be a joke,but I have to admit I am liking the general direction this band is going in.I am liking the blend of influences and the way they are being so straightforward about this as a judicious tribute to their idols.
5. ''Below Zero''
This is the second track off this album that I can't call anything but a painfully obvious filler.The agressivity and raw southern agression of the guitars is being constantly and excessively watered down by the smoother parts that contain seemingly nothing but random doodling.The soloing has been pushed right towards the end of the song,making it much less efficient as the track had been dragging its feet incessantly to get to the good stuff.
6. ''Alien Six''
Another solid track that unmistakably alternates from hardcore to thrash then back and forth full circle for the entire lenght.What I mostly dislike about this cut is the excessive emphasis on a bit of a weak chorus,but outside of this,the verses are clearly interesting and yet again bring out the best characteristics of both the sub-genres it utilizes as concrete basics for the body of the sound.I would give a bit more of a nod to Lamb of God for this track,since a lot of the riffage is clearly Morton-inspired and does have the feel of the latest LoG material.
7. ''Palace of Glass'' I can't help but strongly question if this track has any sort of direction.A lot of the riffs that have been thrown in there are more or less efficient and it does feel like the middle of the song is nothing but repetition.The use of keyboards kind of adds some cheesiness to the picture which doesn't help matters at all.The song does retain some agression but it does feel like the attack has been miscalculated and there is quite a lot of fat to be trimmed.
8. ''Fast and Furious''
As the intro of this track hit it like a ton of fucking bricks in a very sadistic and delightful fashion,I had to expect this song would be a thrash metal anthem,nothing less.It did get quite a bit pedestrian on short notice to fall back into that mainstream mold the album has clearly adopted on Track Two.It is still a very pleasant track,with some steady guitar work that definitely gives the listener a run for their money if they want some heavy shit,but it is far from reinventing the wheel,and it apparently has no desire whatsoever of doing so.It is yet another song I hoped would blossom into a masterpiece that I could take to the terrain of absolute enthusiasm but this impression has died down as the album progressed.''Fast and Furious'' is proof that the band is going to stay within its limitations of southern fuzzy nu-metal with a slightly progressive thrash edge.I have to admit they're the best in their game right under the kings of this sub-genre,Lamb of God.
9. ''Summoned''
This track has every characteristic of a generic mallcore song.It will be popular with members of the Unearth horde but will do little to please those who are gathered here out of their fondness for the burning fires of thrash metal rage that defined the first few cuts as absolutely moving tributes to Exodus.It is most definitely the one song they could use as their Mtv singles since it will work with those crowds.It is nothing but a hardcore song and it definitely does drag its feet.I won't hesitate to move on to better things.
10. ''Astronomica''
This is a very downright odd way to end this album,I'm gonna say it as it is.The way it all starts out with the tam-tams led me to question exactly what the fuck it would turn into.As some very Zakk Wylde guitar work took the stage I was absolutely content.Right up to the point where we hear nothing but cheesy space sounds that seem to stretch out right towards the end of the sound to the extent of killing my interest for the cool riffage that might have still been in store for my ears before the album's very end.
RATING: 6/10 These guys do have some pretty fucking great chops.They are in the ranks of the band Lamb of God who are equally well-accepted by the mainstream crowds and the metal purists of this world because of their ability to conjure up the souls of Pantera and Exodus with their very obvious love for the southern guitar sound,hardcore,and the elements of thrash metal's root. Good stuff for sure,but there are only a few tracks I might occasionally come back to.
-Noch
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