I remember when I first heard this band. They only had the one album out at the time. I didn't like it once I heard what Amazon calls a "preview" of the album. 30 second snippets of each song is really just not enough to give it a fair chance. Nonetheless, I was not impressed. I enjoyed everything but the vocals. Jasta's to be exact. I've never been a fan of his larynx shredding. A friend of mine [quick shout out to Mr. Hyte!] describes his voice as "barking". To me, it's befitting.
Then something changed. I heard their song, God's Law in the Devil's Land, and it warped my perception of the band. It was like Down but it had more of a groove to it! And I LOVE Down! Now, I'm not saying they're better than Down. I'm just making a comparison. They much more akin to Down's first album NOLA than anything recent. Heavy and downtuned with some melody thrown in the mix. I can only imagine the crowd at their shows.
Back to what I was talking about! The opening riff on that track had me by the balls. I was in for a ride.
Hammer ons and pull offs with some quick slides. JESUS! What an awesome riff! I WISH I could write stuff like that! Windstein has chops, everyone. Don't deny him that. I wouldn't call him a talented singer, but he gets the job done. Truthfully, the parts where he sings are my favorite parts of the album. Admittedly, Jasta does less barking on this album and even springs for some melody as well. Neither of them sing clean. There's always a touch of yelling/screaming to it. Quite like what Randy Blythe of Lamb of God does when he "sings" the chorus on some of their newer songs. No crooning. None whatsoever.The picture you see up and to the right is for their 2nd album, Behind The Blackest Tears. I feel this album has more melody than their first. Hell, Kirk even sings all by his lonesome on From Heroes to Dust . I take my statements back about the lack of crooning on this album. Kirk is crooning. I would never tell him to his face, though. Have you seen this guy?! Not one to be trifled with. On topic! It seems that a lot of metal bands these days are afraid of showing a softer side. Even with the potential of coming in with a crushing chorus. It doesn't have to be an open E or D palm muted for it to be heavy. As long as it conveys the emotion of what he or she is going through. That's all that matters. I guess that's one thing true musicians are capable of over the guys cashing in on something while it's hot. Learn a couple scales, play 'em fast, and that's all you need!
I'm all over the place with this! Why can't I stay on topic? It's madness. Utterly comprised of madness. Truly. Faithfully. Undulatingly?
After COMPLETELY digging their 2nd release I decided to immediately give their initial effort another go. I'm glad I did. I find that it's a bit more straightforward than their sophomore release, but not at all a bad album.
There's still plenty of melody to be had here. The standout tracks on this album are as follows: Hear This Prayer For Her, Begging For the Truth, & Buried In Black. If you're a fan of downtuned sludge metal with a hardcore twist then you can't go too wrong starting here. Give 'em a listen and make up your own mind. If you're still digging on Down and CoC but looking for something a bit heavier, than look no further. It's Kingdom of Sorrow.One last track to leave you with! Along the Path to Ruin. The sound quality is shitty. So, do yourself a favor and just pick up the album already. You'll make Kirk happy 'cuz he can buy more beer!
These never turn out quite like I think they will. I apologize for that. There's no pre-planning going on. I just wing it and hope it sticks. All I ask is that if it's not entertaining in some form or another, then tell me. If I suck then let me know I suck! Nothin' worse than to keep on trucking when no one likes what you're puttin' out there!
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