First review so be easy on me.
Wow. Thats all I can say about this LP. I've been waiting for "
Birthing The Giant" ever since i found out the Cancer Bats in January. Of course I didn't know when the cd came out or what it was goin to be called but what I heard from their EP I could tell the Bats would not dissappoint. And with the Gavin Brown (he did Billy Talent's 2003 self title debut) working on this it had to be awesome and the outcome was amazing.
Oh I guess I should also metion these guys came straight out of Toronto, Canada.
And one of the coolest thing is it came out the day of the devil.
6/6/06
Line Up:
Liam Cormier - Vocals
Scott Middletown - Guitar
Andrew McCranken - Bass
Mike Peters - Drums
1. Golden Tanks 5/5
This starts off of the cd. And what a great song to start it off. A fast song with some great drums and a damn good guitar parts. I like when it gets to the middle with the guitar riffs and all that. the bass is good in this. Lyricly this is a really good song but the one thing is you can sometimes barely understand what Liam is saying/singing (more like yelling) most of the time. But the whole cd is like that. And I love it that way.
2. French Immersion 4/5
A song that keeps doin what Cancer Bats say, Ragin' Hard. and thats what this song does best. I love the chrous part with the crowd/gang yelling. The guitar is rad in this. As for the drums they're good. I'm glad they got Mike instead of some other guy. And the bass unnoticable. And the lyrics and vocals are almost as good as Golden Tanks.
3. Grenades 4.5/5
This song is a total explosion, in a positive way. This is a really amazing song. It kind reminds of Metallica but faster with screaming. Everything is great in this song. The way the guitar sounds and the riffs/notes/chords it plays is perfect. The bass and drums do their part in this song. And the vocals I like alot. And the short solo part is probaly the best part of the song.
4. Shillelagh 4/5
Don't be turned off by the werid name. I heard this before it most people and there was no change. Shillelgah is the song in which its heavy but not fast. I love how they can do that and make the beginning song slow but heavy and metalish. The midway part is when the song then speeds up and still has that metal in it. Vocals are amazing as are the bass, drums and guitar. Shillelagh actually made me realize that Scott isnt a bad guitar player. He's really good at it.
5. Butterscotch 3.5/5
One of my least favorite tracks on the cd. It seems liek to me they were kinda lazy and justed wanted to mash what they did earlier. To me it seems like they took previous. But the song recovers its self 2 minutes after when Scott starts showin off slides and all that. I just wish they tried something different and show a different stlye.
6. Death Bros 4/5
Now Death Bros starts off eerie and reminds me a little of Ozzy for some strange reason. The guitar keeps that same chords and plays it while Mike keeps an easy rythem and Liam screaming his stuff. Pre verse is awesome and the chrous bits are good. I really enjoy the lyrics during the Interlude. And I love the guitar solo part.
7. Firecrack This 4/5
Another great track. Guitar is still top notch. And drums and bass do a good job. Vocals in this seem hearalbe and understandable. I think you can actually understand what Liam is singing about in this one. I love how Cancer Bats use alot of gang/crowd yelling in some of their songs. Something about alot of people yelling I like. The end lyrics also got me yelling.
8. Diamond Mine 4.5/5
I thought of Kayne West for a some weird reason. But I made sure to great rid of him so I can enjoy the song. And good thing I did. The beginning reminds of the Alexisonfire riffs. The song (minus the vocals) remind of Alexisonfire. And thats just awesome. The strong chords are good. And bass and drums are rad in this. I really love how they make this the track that stands out and sound eerie through the whole song. The solo is probaly the best solo on the whole cd.
9. 100 Grand Canyon 5/5
The first single (or futue single) off the cd. It sounds like they changed the song since it first came on the internet. The guitar had more of a higher ring to it but I don't mind. Its still a great listen. There is so much energy in this song. Amazing lyrics: check. Awesome guitar: check. Radtacular drums and bass: check. This song has it all. The only downside is its the shortest track on the cd.
10. Ghost Bust That 4/5
Pure energy and speed. What an awesome fast song. i love how the vocals go along with the each other and the bass and drums are together. A1 lyrics that work amazingly with the guitar, which almost does some wicked wails. And some really heavy chords. And bass and drums so such a good job working together. Just some of the riffs/chords/notes seem recycled but I'm okay with that.
11. Pneumonia Hawk 4.5/5
This is another song I heard before the cd was released (100 Grand Canyon, and Shillelagh as well). And I was worried after hearing 100 Granyon that they might change it and yes they did. But that doesnt stop it from ragin' hard. Its heavier than the demo and vocals sound a little different. But this song still kicks ***. In the middle it gets heavier and just keeps kickin ***. And little fact here. Listen carefully and you can hear George Pettit from Alexisonfire sing some of the chrous. And that is such a great bonus. This sing helps end the cd in such a great way.
+Pros+
+A radtacular debut CD
+The guitar is genius
+Vocals (I think) are fantastic
+Drums and Bass are great
+George Pettit singing on Pmeumonia Hawk is cool
-Cons-
-Some may not like how some songs sound the same
-Some people don't like yelling and screaming (personaly I love it)
-Theres no slow songs
Overal this is a totally bitching radtastic awesome debut cd from a band that is goin to kick so much *** in the future. Way to go Cancer Bats.
Birthing The Giant 4.5/5
