The New Unearth Album?! Not Exactly....
LeftManOut | TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL | 11/22/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"First of all it should be noted that this is not Unearth's new album. It's just a compilation cd which features some live tracks, and their two older eps "Endless" and "Above The Fall Of Man". While it may not necessarily be new music, if you've never heard any of the band's older material, or experienced their live show, then this is a nice treat for you. Basically Eulogy is trying to capitalize on the success which Unearth is having right now by re-issuing their first recorded material packaged with some extra tracks, in hopes that newer fans of the band will pick it up. And if you're a newer fan of the band that might be a good idea, just make sure you know what you are getting.
The first five tracks of the album are taken from a live show in Long Island, NY. The tracks are only from their older album "The Stings of Conscience". However the live tracks are definitly the highlight of the album. An Unearth live show is extremely intense, and the feeling which these tracks give off are amazing. They sound just as good recorded as the band does live, which is quite an accomplishment. I actually like hearing these older songs because many of them aren't performed live by the band very often anymore, particularly "Fuel The Fire", and this is a great chance to hear how great the songs sound in a live environment. The next four tracks are from the "Endless" Ep, which was released in 2002. "Endless" of course was featured on "The Oncoming Storm", Unearth's breakthrough album for Metal Blade Records. "Internal War", "My Desire" and "The Charm" are all original tracks with have not appeared on any other albums. The "Endless" Ep is actually one of my favorite pieces of music by the band, and this is a great place to hear it, if you don't already happen to own it. The last four tracks are from the "Above The Fall Of Man" EP, which was released in 1999. The production is kind of rough, but the feeling is just as intense as any Unearth recording to date, although you can tell how far the band has come since its inception. "Shattered By The Sun" appeared on Unearth's first full length "The Stings Of Conscience", and the three other tracks, "Call To Judgement", "Convictions" and "Lefty" are originals which haven't been released anywhere else.
Basically if you already own "Endless" and "Above The Fall" of man, there is little use for this cd. Really the only thing you're getting is some live tracks, and while they are good, they're not worth shelling out $15 when you can just download them off the internet, or go to an Unearth show in person. Overall the release is solid, but it's pretty apparent what Eulogy was trying to do with this cd. Nothing against them though becaue Eulogy is a great label, they should just make it more clear to people what this cd really is. Hopefully most fans will check into the album before buying to see whether or not it's a necessary purchase for them. Otherwise you're getting a very solid compilation from a great band."
Kinda dissapointed....
gonzo muppet | Columbus, OH United States | 01/14/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"When I first saw this album I was excited because I thought it was a new release. This is not a new release. In fact it repeats songs that have already been in two other productions. For example:
Shattered by the Sun - Above the fall of man(EP), Stings of Conscience
Endless - Endless(EP), Oncoming Storm
My Desire - Stings of Conscience, Endless(EP)
I just find it very repetative and way too soon in their career to release something like this. The live tracks are good but the recording quality kinda sucks. I am only giving it three stars because if you don't own the "Above the fall of man(EP)" I would recommend that you get this thing seeing as how the EP is out of print. This is the only reason this CD is of any value because you can still get Endless(EP) on Amazon.
So the only thing we have going on here is an out of print EP, an EP that is still in print, and some live stuff, which isn't all that great, considering seeing them live is so much better. Those are just my thoughts, buy what you want."