Search - Unearth :: Oncoming Storm

One of my favorite albums of the year

The Deac | Bristow, VA United States | 08/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I will start out by saying I was a fan of Unearth before this CD came out. TSOC was a personal fave, so I was reallly looking forward to this. When it was released, I immediately got my hands on it, and was MORE than happy with the results. This is not a generic hardcore album, or a lame cheesy metal album like several bands have put out. It is a fusion of the best of metal, and the best of hardcore, which creates a sound few other bands are able to acheive.



Ken and Buz are quite possibly the best 7-stringers playing out there today. Listen to Zombie Autopilot...these guys thrash the hell out of the 7-strings in ways that most guitar players would never imagine. The cool thing is each song has its own flavor. This Lying World has a really offbeat kind of intro that works amazingly well. Great Dividers definetely is the big sing-along type song that really gets you going right away. Perhaps my favorite track, Endless, brings the best of everything all together.



Without rambling for too long, this is a great band...period. Fans of newer hardcore bands will be amazed that a band that uses this kind of style is this talented, and even old-school metalheads will probably raise their horns and salute. These guys are for real."

This is metalcore

revspin | Seattle | 07/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think this is one of the few bands that has yet to receive the recognition they deserve. Their first debut album, The Stings of Conscious was a superb first effort. Years have passed since that album met with a record label change from Eulogy to Metal Blade as well as a new drummer Mike Justain (the Red Chord). Whether you are familiar with that band or not, this guy is a pro and adds a whole new dynamic to the band. The guitar work is tight and very well done, improving even on the high standards set by TSOC. The riffs are original and melodies are excellently intertwined amongst the breakdowns. And the breakdowns are SICK - at least 2 or 3 per song and they are all unique and rhythmically tight. Just download "This Lying World" to hear what I am talking about. The vocals are also an improvement over TSOC. Trevor's lyrics have always been good but on this album they are less abstract here. Unlike a lot bands today, particularly ones in this genre, they actually sing about issues of relevance and importance, about the state of this world and where we are headed if we continue these destructive trends. No dragons or crying over ex girlfriends here. The lyrics are pissed off as all hell and it does nothing but compliment the scope of this bands' art. As far as the new record label goes, the production quality on this cd is ages ahead of what is heard on TSOC. I consider myself to be pretty picky when it comes to audio production but they got this right on. I'm making no understatement when I say the production on this cd is damn near PERFECT for this band's sound. My only complaint would be the clichéd "soft" track titled "Aries." I mean, it's good...it just seems rather out of place, same with the acoustic ending of "Black Hearts Now Reign." This band is about brutal metalcore and this record exemplifies it by pounding you into submission. This is definitely one of the best releases this year. If you have any respect for yourself and loud music, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album.



p.s.

An open letter to heidi kakes,



Justain's talent on this album shines through just as much if not stronger than in Fused Together. Also, there aren't 10 breakdowns per song. You just couldn't handle the couple that are there.



p.p.s. using the "open letter format" in reviews is lame. If people did that in the 80's, it wasn't cool then and it isn't cool now.



Thanks,

R.V."

IN YOUR FACE METAL!

James Marshall | 02/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is the second really good metal band I have reviewed today, the other one being All That Remains. After listening to this album I can say that this is no-frills in-your-face metal, and it fu*king rocks! Perfect for when you get tired of emo charged nu-meal ticket rock and the bad musicianship that goes with it. And the lyrics probably make the little emo kids pi** in their pants. We need more bands like this to squash out all of the radio metal music being played everywhere!"