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Unearth - III: In the Eyes of Fire

 

	RELEASED: August 8, 2006 PRODUCER:Terry Date LABEL:Metal Blade Records BAND: Trevor Phipps Buz McGrath Ken Susi John Maggard Mike Justian
+ Great riffing, Better solos, Rapid-fire drums - Sterile production, A few forgettable songs, Arguable sacrifice of heaviness for speed	TRACKS: 1.♫This Glorious Nightmare 2.♫Giles 3. March of the Mutes 4.♫Sanctity of Brothers 5.The Devil Has Risen 6.This Time Was Mine 7.Unstoppable 8.So It Goes 9.Impostors Kingdom 10.Bled Dry 11.Big Bear and the Hour of Chaos

 

OVERVIEW

I feel like I should’ve rated this album higher than I did.  It has all the ingredients of a great metalcore CD – shredding guitars, an airtight rhythm section, breakdowns galore, and cover art that makes you feel tough just looking at it, like this band is definitely not to be messed with.  Toss in the fact that I loved “The Oncoming Storm” and still think it’s one of the best metalcore releases since the genre really hit the mainstream, and this should be an album of the year candidate, no questions asked.  An album from an established band that’s more technical, faster, and with arguably more variety than their previous records?  What more could you ask for?
            Well, if you haven’t gotten the idea yet, I’m an Unearth fan that’s somewhat disappointed with their “III”, despite all the hype and good reviews it’s gotten from the music press thus far.  First of all, the production severely emasculates the record as a whole – an album like this needs crushing production, and for some reason the band decided to forgo the heavy-as-crap production talents of Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage, Norma Jean, Every Time I Die) and enlist the services of Terry Date (Pantera, White Zombie, Deftones); the album’s sound is crystal clear, but definitely lacks the crunchy bottom-end thump and sub-rattling bass that a metalcore record needs.  Second, Vocalist Trevor Phipps sounds like he’s got a cold or something – his vocals on this record sound much tamer and more nasally (although still savage by most people’s standards), which is probably also attributable to production decisions.  Third, the band is clearly moving in a new direction with the faster riffing and whatnot, but the album comes across as somewhat schizophrenic, like they’re having a bit of trouble blending what appears to be an increasing lean towards Maiden/In Flames style harmony riffing and leads with their signature metalcore sound.  Read on for the bottom line on this one.

SONGS

The second “This Glorious Nightmare” comes blazing out of your stereo, you know immediately this is a new band – the furious pace of the album opener is probably faster than anything Unearth has ever done, and they go straight for the throat with breakneck riffing like Colony-era In Flames on speed.  “Giles” was a great choice for the 1st single, as it encapsulates everything Unearth does right – tight riffing, huge breakdowns, killer drums and Phipp’s throat-shredding vocals.  “March of the Mutes” is one of my personal favorites, and keeps upping the ante with more great harmonic riffing and a smashing breakdown all in one tasty song package.  “Sanctity of Brothers” keeps the speed, but loses something for me on the chorus, although it’s still a decent tune.  “The Devil Has Risen” is once again shows off the band’s excellent riffing skills, and definitely comes off as one of the heavier tracks on the record, until “This Time Was Mine” redlines the speed meter with a riff that feels like you’re getting carpal tunnel just listening to it, and the rest of the song is darn good as well.  “Unstoppable” is probably one of the closest resemblances to their older work, with less melodic leads and more straight, brutal riffing that’s not unlike most of “The Oncoming Storm”.  “So It Goes” almost comes across as a leftover Maiden riff, and somewhat trades brutality for more melody and harmony in the guitar parts, which is a welcome change and helps somewhat pace the record.  Don’t get too comfortable though – “Imposter’s Kingdom” comes out and straight kicks you in the stomach and is easily another one of my favorite songs on here.  “Bled Dry” is the last really heavy track on here, and “Big Bear and the Hour of Chaos” is a complete surprise, as it’s completely instrumental, somewhat upbeat, and a bit out of place, but somehow it works great as an album closer and shows that Unearth is definitely more than a one-trick pony.

CONCLUSION

So from what I wrote earlier, you might get the impression that I dislike this record.  Not at all.  It’s a darn respectable effort from a band I know and love, and if you’re like me and like your guitars fast and crunchy, your drumming blitzkrieg-style, and your vocals gritty and in your face, you’ll dig this one.  It just doesn’t kick you in the stomach like their sophomore Metal Blade release did, in my opinion.  Definitely a solid CD, but it’ll be really interesting to see where the guys go from here.

Review by Matt Rewinski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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