Review Summary: The band that put out 'The Oncoming Storm' is back with renewed focus and ferocity.
About twelve months ago, an article popped up on my Facebook feed advertising a band I’d never heard of before. Being a curious fellow, I followed the link and almost had my ears blasted off by Unearth’s 2004 release ‘The Oncoming Storm’. Suffice to say, Unearth was looped on my iPod pretty consistently for months after. So when I heard that a new album was being pumped out, I was excited to say the least.
Does ‘Watchers of Rule’ disappoint? No, it damned well doesn’t.
From the suffocating opening track ‘The Swarm’ and the pseudo-electronic introduction on ‘From the Tombs of Five Below’, to brilliantly crafted guitar work on ‘Trail To Fire’ and the unrelenting chug-a-lug chaos thrown out by ‘Birth of a Legion’, Unearth certainly like to push themselves as musicians. The addition of Nick Pierce on drums is a welcome change to the solid yet unremarkable drumming provided by Killswitch’s Justin Foley on ‘Darkness in the Light’.
On the other hand, Unearth doesn’t exceed expectations with their latest release. Both critics and fans alike have noted that literally every Unearth release has been so fanatically adherent to the same ‘formula’ that it’s hard to be surprised when you discover the next batch of songs. Tracks like Guards of Contagion are testament to this, and whilst being impressive songs in their own right are so strikingly similar to other tracks in their catalogue that it’s impossible not to get a sense of deja-vu, especially during the final thirty seconds or so. What’s more, the album is over before you even know it, with most songs clocking in at barely three and a half minutes long.
To their immense credit, however, Unearth do what they do extremely well. Whilst countless other bands are capable of pulling off the infamous ‘br3akd0wn’ with varying success, Unearth seem to have hit the nail on the head; the perfect example of their breakdown mastery is boasted on The Swarm, which for the final forty seconds is like being kicked in the head over and over again. A personal favourite of mine is Lifetime in Ruins, whose oppressive opening minute is an absolute wonder to behold. Each and every track is fresh and has its own unique feel, despite the same barrage of abrasive vocals that are almost exhausting to withstand.
Gone are the clean vocals thrust upon us by ‘Darkness in the Light’ (besides the merest sliver on ‘Never Cease’). Given that they were never really there in the first place, I think that this is probably for the better; besides, Trevor Phillips is a fantastic vocalist whose abrasive and somewhat unintelligible snarls give Unearth a truly distinctive sound. Others have argued that the constant pummel and stomp of vocals and guitars makes it almost tiring to endure all eleven songs on the album. Solution? Take a rest half way through.
Although ‘Watchers of Rule’ isn’t going to break new ground in the metal community, Unearth doesn’t need to do that to put out a top-notch record. Plenty of other metalcore bands are ‘innovating’, and in my opinion none of them are doing it well. What Unearth have done is created a record with a consistency that hasn’t been seen since ‘The Oncoming Storm’. Let’s hope that Unearth have the integrity to stay true to the genre.
Recommended Tracks
The Swarm
Lifetime in Ruins
Never Cease
Trail To Fire
