4

    



     01  04:22  This Glorious Nightmare
     02  03:58  Giles
     03  04:02  March Of The Mutes
     04  03:29  Sanctity Of Brothers
     05  03:22  The Devil Has Risen
     06  04:10  This Time Was Mine
     07  05:06  Unstoppable
     08  05:02  So It Goes
     09  03:23  Impostors Kingdom
     10  03:55  Bled Dry
     11  03:10  Big Bear And The Hour Of Chaos


                             Total time: 43:59 min




     Metalcore: Metalcore is a musical genre consisting of a
    mix between heavy metal and hardcore punk. The genre
    has risen in popularity since the turn of the
    millennium.

    This is of course a rather simplistic definition of the
    genre, but to metal fans around the world, this
    subgenre is probably the most controversial of them
    all. While some metal fans may flock to this genre,
    many others turn their heads in disgust, calling the
    music "blasphemy", "mallcore" and the list goes on.
    Some elitist fans of the metal genre won't even call it
    heavy metal because they're so put off by the new sound
    of metal. So where do I find myself in this battle of
    heavy metal fans? I hate not taking sides on debates,
    but I can't really put myself on either side. There are
    some bands in the genre that I think are some of the
    worst musical groups ever formed (Atreyu and Avenged
    Sevenfold, to name a few), but then there are other
    groups that give metalcore a very positive name and
    make me still give the genre a chance (All That Remains
    and Bleeding Through). But still, one group in this
    battlefield of music remains to be the single savior.
    The diamond in the rough. The cream of the crop.

    Unearth is that group.

    So how can this album possibly be that good? It's in a
    dying genre that didn't start off that strong in the
    first place. Well, it's complicated really. In short,
    these guys just write incredibly catchy, well crafted
    metal songs that just make me want to listen to them
    time and time again. If you're familiar with their past
    album, The Oncoming Storm, you'd know that this group's
    sound is rather heavy and borders along being almost
    traditional heavy metal. The only thing that really
    kept them in the metalcore world was the fact that this
    group loves to include one thing really vital to their
    sound. When used correctly, it can be the most brutal
    and beautiful thing used in metal. It can start an
    insanely violent mosh pit in mere seconds and can leave
    your neck incredibly sore once it's all through. Of
    course, there are instances when the breakdown can
    become really old and boring... leave it to Unearth to
    perfect the fine art of the breakdown. They really know
    how to incorporate it into their songs frequently
    without making them seem trite. It's really amazing how
    they can do it.

    So now that a little bit of a background has been
    presented, let's move on to the musicality of the
    album, shall we? The band is mainly driven by the twin
    guitar insanity of Ken Susi and Buz McGrath. The last
    album was enough to keep me pleased for many listens,
    but the group just didn't want to quit there. These two
    really pushed the limit on this album and have created
    by far their best work to date. The two of them trade
    off their harmonized leads and fretboard acrobatics off
    flawlessly, while still bringing in a good ol'
    breakdown to tear your face off in the meantime. But
    wait, there's more! Ken and Buz are starting to bring
    back more traditional elements of heavy metal to their
    sound by addingmuch better guitar solos then they have
    in the past! The soloing is more than just mindless
    shred; they contain plenty of emotion and feeling and
    deliver just what the band needed to create what I
    consider to be a classic release.

    The rest of the band does just what they need to do as
    well, but don't get as much attention as the guitars do
    in my opinion. While that's not really a bad thing,
    it's still noticeable to those who are vocalists,
    bassists, and drummers. Bass player Jon Maggard isn't
    exactly the most audible person in the band, but he
    does what is necessary for the group by providing a
    thick, low end that the guitar players can base their
    rapid-fire riffing off of. Metalcore drumming is also
    known to be quite speedy, so Mike Justian does just
    that. The entire album is filled with his swift double
    bass drum patterns, blazing fills and an pounding
    rhythms. Once again, it's ideal for the band. While the
    bass and drums stayed relatively the same from the last
    album, the vocals (and lyrics especially) have taken a
    turn for the better. Trevor Phipps' voice, while
    staying similar to his past style, is just more
    powerful than in the past, and his annoying clean
    vocals are only but a sore memory at this point. His
    lyrics are also way better than they were on past
    albums. They're creative, catchy, and really powerful.
    I'm totally impressed with what improvement this entire
    group has made in just two short years.

    In conclusion: You need this album. It's the best
    metalcore album to date and I might even be so bold as
    to say it will be the album of the year.

    sputnikmusic.com