The Unseen - State Of Discontent
Background
The Unseen are a band from Boston that was formed in 1993. They have signed with Hellcat record at theend of 2004. They also formed and run ADD Records. The Unseen are a streetpunk band (or hardcore punk however you call them)and are one of the major band in this subgenre of punk. I think what make a difference between this band and other streetpunk band
is the amazing vocal of Mark Carlson. They already have four records before this one, the most well known of them is thealbum Lower Class Cricifixtion. Their last album, Explode, was a big disapointment for many fans of the band. So we will se if The Unseen try with this album seeking ofr their past energy and anger. The album, State Of Discontent is produced by Ken Casey from Dropkick Murphys and mixed by Brett Gurewitz from Bad Religion. Now let's take a look at this album.
Band members
Mark Carlson - Lead Vocals
Scott - Lead Guitar
Tripp - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Melzard - Drums
Review
The first song on this album is
[On The Other Side] . As usual, The Unseen try to start their album with a powerful song, just remember such song like Live In Fear, False Hope, Childrens Of Revolution or What Are You Gonna Do. Well they failed in some way on this album to open. The song is good but their is nothing more about it. The lyrics of this song are good, I like how the vocal are build for this song but it just not enough for an opening song for an Unseen album. Keep in mind that that this song is good. The second song is
[Scream Out] , you may remember this song from the Rock Against Bush comp. and it also the song they have use for their single. Don't seek to far in this album, this is without a doubt the best song on it. I mean, amazing vocals, incredible lyrics and a really special sound that make you want to listen to the song again and again. The song itself talk about how punk can help you forget your problem and going ahead each days. Maybe also how Mark describe how he fight is problems by doing punk. Don't miss this song, it's one of the best ever by The Unseen.
Then , come the third song,
[The End Is Near] . The song is really fast, not as good as the two first. The song start with Mark singing alone, then it become fast, the chorus are not really good. You probably forget the song at the same time you will finish listening to it. Then we come to the 4th song of this album,
[Weapons Of Mass Destruction]. I already like more this song than the last one,it is more work, I like the fast guitar work for this song and also the drum. You will hear near to the end of the song police siren, it add some more element into the song. This song talk about how the government control people and mind by the use of fear. Well classical punk lyrics nothing impressive but good.
Then come the 5th song, it is
[You Can Never Go Home] . The song start a bit slowly but with fast drum, it is still a bit slow during the riff but become harder during the chorus. Nice song, better than the two last, the guitar work is good. Also I really like the vocals for this song. The 6th song of the album is
[Dead Weight].The song start with the guitar playing alone, then Mark start screaming and the song start. This song is quite good in overall. You will finally get a real good song to taste since the last three were more average. The lyrics are also really good and you will notice the awesome vocals in this song.
After, the 7th song on this album is
[Force Fed] . The song start with Mark singing slowly then he start screaming. The riffs are good but the chorus are average. Another song that could have been work more. It still missing something. The lyrics are ok, they are still talking about governement controlling masses by propaganda. Nothing more to say about this song...overall, average. Here we come to the 8th song,
[Social Damage] . The song start with a really nice guitar work, then Mark start by screaming ''Social Damage'' . The song is kind of fast, the guitar I think is the best part of this song. To me this song is a good one.
Then we come to the 9th song,
[Waste Of Time] . Here we come to one of the best song of this album. This song is excellent. The chorus are simply amazing, the lyrics are really good and once again a great job for the vocals. I didn't really care much about this song at first...but trust me take the time to listen to it. It is better than all the precedent song, except Scream Out. It talk about all the people you meet that are let's say blind and conservative that you should consider a waste of your time. That you should not care about these kind of person. Then the next song,
[Hit And Run] , this song start very fast at the beginning. It's quite an average song, but just wait to the end of the song for the really good guitar work.
After, it is the song
[We Are All That We Have] This song is quite good. It as a good beat, good riff and chorus. Lars Frederiksen is also a guest vocal in this song. It' an add for the song. In overall this song is good. The 12th song
[Flames Have Destroyed] This song is quite short. It start really slow then the drum become really fast. Mark scream almost all the song. Good beat but nothing to make you really appreciate it. This song is to me one of the worst one this album.
Then,
[Finnal Execution] , this song is simply amazing. The song start with a nice guitar riff, then the drum become fast and we hear Mark saying ''No solution''. The he start singing, the riff is good but it lead you to an incredible chorus. The lyrics are really good, the vocals amazing. The song is easily the second best of this album. Here we come to the last song,
[Paint It Black] . Well this is a cover song from a band you probably already know (I hope so] , The Rolling Stones. It's one of their best song to me and The Unseen does a really great job to keep a part of the original sound like during the riff. The chorus are more Unseen style with screaming and hard sound. I think it is a brillant way to end this album since the song is really good. This cover is to me one of the good part of this album.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this album is very good. It's obvious that it is far better than Explode but not as good as their older albums. I think musically this band is good. Mark have amazing vocal that sound better than on the last album. Their lyrics are good but are still missing something. I mean they are direct and in your face, but they are missing some kind of diversity and deepness. I think also that the mixing for this album is really good and audio quality too. It is a great aspect they have work on. It is to me one of the best release so far this year in punk.
The good
-Amazing vocal
-A lot of energy and anger on this album
-Great mixing (better than on the last album)
-Amazing cover of Paint It Black
-Far better than Explode
The Bad
-Lyrics are missing deepness and diversity
-Some songs are really average
Tracks review
1- On The Other Side
8.5/10
2- Scream Out
10/10
3- The End Is Near
7/10
4- Weapons Of Mass Destruction
7.5/10
5- You Can Never Go Home
7.5/10
6- Dead Weight
8.5/10
7- Force Fed
7.5/10
8- Social Damage
8.5/10
9- Waste Of Time
9/10
10- Hit And Run
7.5/10
11- We Are All That We Have
8/10
12- Flames Have Destroyed
6/10
13- Finnal Execution
9.5/10
14- Paint It Black
9/10
Recommended tracks
-Scream Out
-Waste Of Time
-Final Execution
-Paint It Black (cover)
*Feel free to give some comments on the band or on the review...tell me I should improve for my next review ---Please---
