Unearth - 'III: In The Eye Of Fire'
Muse – ‘Blackholes & Revelations’
Unearth - 'III: In The Eyes Of Fire'
(31/08/06)
Massachusetts metalcore band Unearth return with their second release on Metal Blade records. The band's heavy brand of hardcore metal has gained them quite a reputation across the scene as a whole. This album continues along the boundaries the band have laid down before, mixing a spiky guitar sound with plenty of guitar breakdowns and chorus beatdowns. The vocals are brutal and vicious to really hammer home the intesity of the record. The dark highlights of the album include 'March Of The Mutes' & 'This Time Was Mine'. Unearth have produced another great metalcore album but is it progression in their music? I think fans of the band will adore this album as much as their previous efforts, but metalcore fans that are expecting anything new or experimental within the new album we fall short. This is classic Unearth in full flight or should I say fight, 'III: In The Eyes Of Fire' proves to be the nemesis of previous effort 'The Oncoming Storm', it's darker and still contains all the right beatdown moments the fans thrive for. Solid album. 7/10
(31/08/06)
After a great response from the South By Southwest festival in Texas, Tapes 'n Tapes were sure to release one of the year's most eagerly awaited debut albums. Neither commercial or particulary underground, the band has emerged as one of the more interesting bands of the year, much as Arcade Fire did last year. This comes across well on their unique debut album, where their quirky brand of odd folk rock shows enough to inspire a whole section of indie fans. The vocals consist of what can only be called quiet singing, there is nothing brash or over the top screaming, yet strangely the mix binds each tune into a funky rhythm. The diversity of tracks is excellent, at times one dissolving into another, 'Insistor' provides the nearest thing to a single the band will release, with a funky yet oddly rapid beat and strange lyrics to match its sure to catch the attention of music fans everywhere. Other tracks such as 'Crazy Eights' is almost all instrumental apart from the odd background whaling vocal singing "The Loon", proving the bands versatility in their own unique way. Tapes 'n Tapes will become well known in the indie scene, for being a band that brings back the unique spirit within the indie genre, which has become rather over popular in recent years, this band is truly indie. One of the most stand out albums of the year thus far! 9/10
Space-prog rockers Muse return from a three year absence since ‘Absolution’ was released. Known for their diversity within their brand of out-there rock, what could the band do to cement their place in rock greatness? Well, better all the other material they have ever released, and with ‘Blackholes & Revelations’ Muse have done this. The album has an even more synthy-rock feel, that the band contribute to their time in New York while recording, the band also spent time in France and Italy during the process. The sound is darker and more mysterious than ever before, but strangely also more accessible for the common music fan, Muse have done this without anyone muttering the words ‘sell-out’ because it’s done like no-one else could and they’ve still stayed true to their earlier music. Opening with ‘Take A Bow’ which follows on from ‘Absolution’ easing you into this album, ‘Starlight’ proves to be the song of love on the album, being taken away from loved ones is the theme but the band still make it into one of the best on the album with a spacey vibe and plenty of rock throughout. The first single and funky-space monster is ‘Supermassive Blackhole’ which draws you in with its awesome riff, and shows off Matt Bellamy’s vocal talents in different kind of genre for Muse, with a funky jazz beat everyone will love. ‘Maps Of The Problematique’ really lays on the synth to an incredible atmospheric effect, and really creates a parallel dimension of the album, it’s dark and mysterious but very powerful with it. ‘Soldiers Poem’ and ‘Invincible’ show off the more emotional side to proceedings with the latter becoming a building block of velocity towards ‘Assassin’, which as the title suggests, takes no prisoners. ‘Exo-Politics’ kicks into motion with another beat that sticks with you, before a thumper of a chorus, which feels like a protest march of millions. ‘City of Delusion’ proves another rock storm, while ‘Hoodoo’ starts off as a blues song before unleashing a feeling of total demise of the world. ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ starts with what sounds like evacuation sirens and total chaos with the screams of horses rampaging, this is an epic, infact an epic song for the end of a world (maybe not ours, I must add). As the band sound their battle call, the outstanding guitar riffs that follow signal the battle. And so it ends as the siren fades out ending the album, and there was only one true winner in all of this, Muse, with surely what must be a labour of love for them with this album. Music fans will lap this up, it’s fantastic.
9.5/10
The difficult second album, this hurdle is where a lot of good debutant bands
fall flat on their faces. Razorlight reportedly had to rush to finish this
album, to release it on time. The signs were not good. Luckily on their side the
band have talent, and a hell of a lot of it and this proved essential to this
album, their self-titled second release is a huge success and will undoubtedly
become one of biggest selling albums this year. Razorlight have approached this
album with a much more mature approach, putting song writing as the main
priority, if you were expecting guitar riffage to be at the forefront of
proceedings, then you will be disappointed, not that you should be as each song
on this album is brilliant. The album opens with ‘In The Morning’ which recalls
the glories of the ‘Up All Night’ album, although brilliant, this album has so
much more to offer, it’s diverse and goes to show how much the band have grown
since their first appearance on the scene. Songs such as ‘Before I Fall To
Pieces’, ‘I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got’ and ‘Back To The Start’ all have
an element of the last album, but so much more within the songs, each having its
own unique song hook. Without doubt the stand out song lays with ‘America’ a
simplistic acoustic sounding monster, that was inspired by the band’s time in
the country, although the romantic soundings of the song could point to any such
relationship past or present. ‘Kirby’s House’ is re-vamped and toned down to be
more of a melodic classic, than the first version that featured on the War Child
album. The album concludes with ‘Los Angeles Waltz’, which has a fantastic
sensitive feeling to it, that you will have come to expect by this point in the
album. Razorlight have shown their class and diversity of talents with this
self-titled second offering, this will no doubt propel them to further global
successes.
9.5/10