Review Summary: Underground Classic
1 of 2 thought this review was well writtenNow that the band has disposed of vocalist/song writer Mark Laughton, i figure it is time to go back and revisit the discography of this band from my hometown. Starting with this, their last full album containing Laughton. This is the bands 6th full length release in just over 6 years, and they were working on a seventh when the band kicked him out for self harming, as it looked bad on their image.
The lineup was as follows
Mark Laughton-Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, All Songwriting Credits and Lyrics
Jimmy Custo-Bass
Tommy Jackson-Drums
Chloe Morty-Rhythm Guitar
Jack Wilson-3rd Guitar
The Good Side
One Consolation is possibly the finest song the band has EVER released. The buildup from soft, bluesy stylings to a crazy finish with solo after solo is just flawlessly executed. This band really has outdone themselves here.
This band has many good songs that fit their styling of progessive death metal to at T. For starters, there is the most brutal song they have ever released, The Serpent. This deals with addiction, and is one of the best songs the band has ever put out. It contains brutal blast beats, furious guitar riffs, and by far the most brutal vocals Laughton has ever got behind a microphone and recorded. This is a straight up classic.
Another positive is the song The Pain. This was one of the singles from the album, and had a video produced for it. It is a very angry song, dealing with people who judge, and it contains one of the finest riffs from the album. It also has a rather thrashy middle section that fits the song perfectly before building back up to an insane finish.
The guitar work is the highlight of the album. Laughton, Morty and Wilson are 3 of the premier underground metal guitarists out there. There are riffs upon riffs, and crazy solos littered throughout this album, and they really make up for the lack of anything else at work. Even the vocals are more than made up for on this album by the guitar work. It is both technical and speedy.
The bass work has always been a highlight and remains so here. Laughton writes some of the best basslines ever, and Jimmy Custo pumps them out with raw talent, occasionally altering it to suit his style, according to the bands Myspace. Whilst his basslines carried there earlier work, on here, it is much lower in the mix, but does its job well.
The production is another key point to mention here. The whole album is flawlessly produced, with every instrument being audible. Also, there is no more annoying buzzing on the vocals from where the band could not afford proper studio time here.
The Down Sides
The drumming from Tommy is by far the weakest part of this album. Other than his performance on The Serpent, his drumming is not varied enough and bores the listener to tears. The Apocalypse Begins might possibly be one of the worst drum tracks ever layed down in history.
The City, the intro track, is a bluesy number that really does not go anywhere, and is boring to hell and back. Not a song worthy of mentioning other than to say how bad it is.
Overall, this album is definately worth a shot. Its far better than the new EP the band released with their new vocalist, Nathan Wilson, and is their finest work to date.
