Tremendous sophmore release!
G. Martin | Rock Hill SC | 07/05/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In my humble opinion, this album is a perfect follow-up to and a very natural progression from their self-titled debut which I also liked very much. There are no doubt some very strong similarities between this album and their first one but there are also some very big differences as well. The first thing that I noticed was that this record doesn't seem to be dominated so much by the hardcore influences that Jasta brings from Hatebreed. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely there but in a much more balanced way. Their self-titled debut was indeed heavy but to me it felt too much like another Hatebreed album with Kirk sharing vocal duties. Behind The Blackest Tears feels and sounds a little different to me in this regard. The tempo on many of the songs seems a little slower. Not to the point that the listener gets lulled to sleep or loses interest but in a way that creates a bit more heaviness & balance and seems to bring out a little more of the sludgey sound that Crowbar is so well known for. Also, the vocal parts in each song seem to have been arranged with more precision & forethought so that Kirk & Jamey actually do a better job of complimenting each other.
To sum it up, it just sounds like a more balanced album to me. The original sound and all of the heaviness is still here. It just got a little refinement this time around. Just don't make the mistake of assuming that "balanced" means weak. This album is heavier than an anvil to the head and is an absolute BEAST! I have had it in almost constant rotation since it's release and it gets better every time I hear it. If you don't have it or haven't heard it yet, by all means....get off your ass and do so. It is more than worth the purchase price. You can't go wrong with this album. Like so many albums before this one, the title track never seems to measure up and is often one of the weaker songs. Not the case here. The title track is one of the best songs on this album. The others that seem to stand out to me are "God's Law In The Devil's Land", "From Heroes To Dust" & "Along The Path To Ruin". Everything else is great too though. Buy this bitch and experience it for yourself. Just be sure to play it on "10" for the full effect!"
Surprised I Didn't Take To This Band Before
Michael | FL United States | 06/14/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had seen Kingdom Of Sorrow's self-titled debut at many places when it came out in 2008, but for some reason I wasn't curious enough to pick it up around that time. I knew that it was the side project of Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed and Kirk Windstein from Crowbar and Down, and drummer Derek Kerswill, who was a fill-in (at the time) for Unearth. It didn't quite have me convinced though. Apparently, they were good enough for a second album. I must say I'm surprised how good the music is. Both Jamey and Kirk share vocal duties, and they turn in some very strong performances. Especially Jamey, who manages to fit in some clean vocals, something you didn't really hear too much before from him. Derek is a beast on drums. My exposure to his playing first came in the form of seeing him explode on the drumkit when I watched Unearth's live dvd "Alive From The Apocalypse," and later on their latest album The March. I'm thoroughly convinced that he is one of the best drummers there is. Now, not one particular sound dominates overall. There's a little hardcore, there's a little sludge and doom metal, even some thrash tossed in for great effect. It's hard to catagorize, so lets just call it metal. If you're a fan of Hatebreed, Down, or Crowbar, and you haven't checked this band out by now, you should. FYE has an exclusive special limited edition with two bonus tracks, the Running Wild cover "Soldiers Of Hell," and Motörhead's "No Class.""
