I will start out by saying I was a fan of Unearth before this CD came out. TSOC was a personal fave, so I was reallly looking forward to this. When it was released, I immediately got my hands on it, and was MORE than happy with the results. This is not a generic hardcore album, or a lame cheesy metal album like several bands have put out. It is a fusion of the best of metal, and the best of hardcore, which creates a sound few other bands are able to acheive.

Ken and Buz are quite possibly the best 7-stringers playing out there today. Listen to Zombie Autopilot...these guys thrash the hell out of the 7-strings in ways that most guitar players would never imagine. The cool thing is each song has its own flavor. This Lying World has a really offbeat kind of intro that works amazingly well. Great Dividers definetely is the big sing-along type song that really gets you going right away. Perhaps my favorite track, Endless, brings the best of everything all together.

Without rambling for too long, this is a great band...period. Fans of newer hardcore bands will be amazed that a band that uses this kind of style is this talented, and even old-school metalheads will probably raise their horns and salute. These guys are for real.

I think this is one of the few bands that has yet to receive the recognition they deserve. Their first debut album, The Stings of Conscious was a superb first effort. Years have passed since that album met with a record label change from Eulogy to Metal Blade as well as a new drummer Mike Justain (the Red Chord). Whether you are familiar with that band or not, this guy is a pro and adds a whole new dynamic to the band. The guitar work is tight and very well done, improving even on the high standards set by TSOC. The riffs are original and melodies are excellently intertwined amongst the breakdowns. And the breakdowns are SICK - at least 2 or 3 per song and they are all unique and rhythmically tight. Just download "This Lying World" to hear what I am talking about. The vocals are also an improvement over TSOC. Trevor's lyrics have always been good but on this album they are less abstract here. Unlike a lot bands today, particularly ones in this genre, they actually sing about issues of relevance and importance, about the state of this world and where we are headed if we continue these destructive trends. No dragons or crying over ex girlfriends here. The lyrics are pissed off as all hell and it does nothing but compliment the scope of this bands' art. As far as the new record label goes, the production quality on this cd is ages ahead of what is heard on TSOC. I consider myself to be pretty picky when it comes to audio production but they got this right on. I'm making no understatement when I say the production on this cd is damn near PERFECT for this band's sound. My only complaint would be the clichéd "soft" track titled "Aries." I mean, it's good...it just seems rather out of place, same with the acoustic ending of "Black Hearts Now Reign." This band is about brutal metalcore and this record exemplifies it by pounding you into submission. This is definitely one of the best releases this year. If you have any respect for yourself and loud music, you owe it to yourself to pick up this album.

p.s.
An open letter to heidi kakes,

Justain's talent on this album shines through just as much if not stronger than in Fused Together. Also, there aren't 10 breakdowns per song. You just couldn't handle the couple that are there.

p.p.s. using the "open letter format" in reviews is lame. If people did that in the 80's, it wasn't cool then and it isn't cool now.

Thanks,
R.V.

I love in flames etc., but why the haters? I felt like writing a review to combat the criticism based on some sort of delusional sense of elitsm regarding originality. Centered on swedish bands supposedly owning this genre. There seems to be much confusion among metal fans as to what is original. I'll tell you. Black Sabbath. More or less all the descendants of Sabbath are what we have today.

The good bands are excellent song writers. But they're working from the basic blueprint which Sabbath laid out.
The poor bands have awful sounding singers or can't manage to compose compelling songs.

Unearth writes outstanding and energetic music. The singer is solid and there's nothing obnoxiously trendy or whiny whithin the music. There are also some of the best solos I've heard in years. Something even Metallica fell for axing from their last record thanks to Lars, against Kirk's wishes.

Metallica started by covering only diamondhead. Slayer was influenced by Venom. In flames was influenced by Maiden, metallica AND Slayer. But you get these kids slamming most of whats coming out of metal right now with the uneducated notion that in flames is the original. No. They write great songs and possess a unique combination of styles. Something that Unearth possesses as well.

This is one of the best releases in the genre. These guys do it as good or better than anyone else in the metal world right now. You have great songwriting, and thats what sets them apart from most of the crowd.

There is definitely a trend here. No one can deny that if you have a Killswitch album album you're likely to dig unearth. The list goes on and on, but whats wrong with that as long as there is some origninality in the song writing. As long as I don't think I'm hearing a specific metallica riff, or lyrics almost exactly like pantera I'm alright. And I coudn't pin down any particular song with these guys.

So if you're not jaded on metal core hardcore whatever other label people come up with, then check this album out because its a legitimate part of good heavy metal

There is a lot to like in this album, and a lot to hope for in the future. Each song features several mosh elements, and transitions that keep the songs' flow alive and interesting. However, the changes come so frequently and unexpectedly that there's very little to hold onto, minute to minute. Once Unearth finds a hook, they seem rather eager to let it go. So, ultimately, the complaints about songs running into one another have validity - more critically, there aren't really "songs" on this album - like I said, TOS is more an agglomeration of "mosh movements".

TOS live should be a blast - this album seems more geared towards that, rather than to be enjoyed with friends, in the car, screaming along to, or as part of your singles collection. Though I guarantee you won't be bored listening... that's the benefit of music that's always changing. Mudvayne had this "problem" previously - they seem to have survived and thrived in spite. These equally-talented boys will doubtless do the same.