Unearth

The March

Written by: PP on 21/10/2008 22:27:14

Whilst receiving a great deal of acclaim from a number of other webzines, "III: The Eyes Of Fire" was a huge disappointment from the metalcore warriors Unearth, and not an album I've managed to put on my record player ever since. What that album offered was a thick wall of noise not easily digested, full of blast-beats, humongous breakdowns and other genre gimmicks, with the added problem of absolutely no catchy parts on the whole album. Retrospectively thinking, the only things I even remember from that album are just pounding drums and crushing guitars that lacked the basic ingredient of a good metalcore song: a blinding riff that catches your attention from the get go.

Luckily, my dear readers, Unearth has re-discovered the art of riffing on "The March" - in big style. Starting from the ridiculously complex opening riff of "My Will Be Done", going through the "An Ocean Between Us"-era As I Lay Dying-ish guitars on "Hail The Shrine" to the Darkest Hour-ish twin-guitar combo on "Crow Killer", every song on "The March" is both technically and artistically superior to those on "III". Add a couple of memorable choruses to the mix and you've got the ingredients of a metalcore success. The difference between the two releases is astounding especially in the solo department, as nearly every song contains a solo to kill for, which was an aspect that I found myself largely missing on "III". Just check out and drool over the spectacular guitar work on "We Are Not Anonymous"

But what was Unearth's problem back then is still their biggest problem, and here I'm talking about the vocal department, of course. The hardcore-influenced yelling style of their vocalist is neither fitting to the music nor enjoyable to listen to, the style should really be left for the NYHC and hxc bands. Change the vocals into a nice shriek (a la Children of Bodom), a thick scream (a la All That Remains), or even a solid growl, and then we're quickly raising the stakes to the 'great' or 'near perfect' level. For now, however, "The March" merely remains a good album because of its instrumental prowess, its ability to drop jaws and inject memorable passages into the music through the fantastic work of the band's two brilliant guitarists.

Download: We Are Not Anonymous, My Will Be Done
For the fans of: As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, 36 Crazyfists
Listen: Myspace

Release date 10.10.2008
Metal Blade Records

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