UNEARTH
Darkness In The Light
[Metal Blade Records]
Verdict: 8.5/10
Its a rare thing in the ‘heavy music’ genre that a band manages to maintain its integrity and respect from fans and peers alike. Pantera did it in the 90′s and managed to set standards that many metal and hardcore bands, and fans alike, still hold onto. Unearth, hailing from the musical mecca known as Massachusettes, are one of a dying breed of bands that still, record after record, encompass the ability to level and annihilate with each record. With an impressive catalog behind them, including two EP’s, four full lengths and a live dvd/cd, Unearth come out swinging with Darkness In The Light. Once again produced by Times of Grace/Killswitch Engage mad man Adam D., with drums being tracked by Killswitch’s Justin Foley, Unearth have armed themselves with an impressive 11 tracks of musical muscle. Everything Unearth have ever done in their career is showcased here. Metallic metal crunch, ripping solos, ala Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P.), hardcore swagger and Trevor Phipps unique brand of vocal delivery. Not so much pissed or preachy but raw, in your face truth. From the beginning track, “Watch It Burn”, we are put on notice that Unearth are back and have no plans on going anywhere. Scathing vocals, Buz McGrath and Ken Susi’s unbeatable dualing shredding guitars, Slo’s gnarley bass and the building leveling drumming swirl and mix into epicness. The final seconds of the song the band assaults us with what will most assuredly be a pit favorite for years to come. From there the onslaught continues until we reach “Equinox”. This is this album’s breather, reminiscent of The Oncoming Storm’s “Aries”, albeit shorter. Then the band’s brand of Metal meets Hardcore destruction continues to pulverize you into submission. As long as Unearth exists and continues to write and perform quality music, and continues to further blur the lines of hardcore and metal they will never be cast aside by ‘heavy music’ fans. Darkness In The Light represents a band that is familiar and comfortable in their own skins and place among the musical elite. Will they ever reach the success of Pantera? Unlikely. But who wants to try and top that? Will they command the respect and admiration? Most assuredly. — by Jon Hole
Tag Archives: unearth
[REVIEW] Unearth – Darkness In the Light
ALL THAT REMAINS – [Interview / LMP.8 Feature]
ALL THAT REMAINS
Even if you aren’t a fan, you’ve probably at least heard of All That Remains. With their fifth record coming mid October (For We Are Many), listeners of the band have a lot to be hopeful for. Not only is the album full of what made ATR who they are today, the guys have naturally added some new elements along the way.
>>Interview w/ Mike Martin (Guitar) by Ryan Williford
You guys are set to release For We Are Many October 12th. How would you compare this album to the rest of your discography sound wise?
MM: I think the cool thing about this album is that it has a bunch of aspects from each album in our catalog. It’s the best variety of songs I think we’ve ever come up with. There’s definitely stuff on it that would fit right in with either Darkened, The Fall of Ideals, or Overcome. There is also definitely some fresh stuff that we’ve never done in there before that will catch people’s attention for sure.
Why did you guys decide to go back to Adam D. to produce the new album over Jason Suecof, who produced Overcome?
MM: We went back to Adam basically because he was available this time around. We always prefer to record at home as opposed to traveling. Jason was awesome and did a great job, but if the option is there to stay near home and record, we’ll take it every time.
Throughout For We Are Many, I hear a few parts, ideas, and sounds that I have not heard from you guys before. Did you guys set out to do a few things like this, or did it just flow into the songs throughout the process?
MM: I think we always set out to do some stuff we’ve never done on each album. For us, it’s part of the natural flow of writing the album. I think you could always very easily pick out what song came from what album in this band which I think is very cool. A lot of bands put out two or three albums in a row that sound exactly the same, and people get bored. We’ve always been proud of the fact the each of our records has a different sound and feel.
On a related note, what albums were you guys listening to and/or being influenced by during the writing and recording of this album, and how do you feel that affected this album?
MM: I don’t think there were any other albums really that influenced the writing of this album or any other album. Most of us don’t really even listen to this style of music when we are not playing it. Plus, sometimes listening to too much of the same stuff can influence you without you even knowing it and you end up writing something that sounds too much like someone else already without realizing it.
You guys are currently in the middle of a massive touring cycle throughout the states. How has this current tour been for you guys and what are the details and expectations for the upcoming tours?
MM: The current tour we’re on with Unearth and As I Lay Dying has been amazing so far. We’ve toured with both bands so many times over the years, it’s like being out with family. The Carnifex guys are great guys too, so it was nice to get to meet them as well on this run. This tour ends in California and our headlining tour with Asking Alexandria and Born of Osiris starts immediately after this ends in San Francisco. That’ll take us to the middle of November. Then after Thanksgiving, we head to Europe for about a month of shows with Caliban and Soilwork; then Australia for Soundwave in February, and hopefully Japan sometime around then as well. That’s as much as I know for now, but there will be plenty after that as well I’m sure.
Last decade was all about illegal downloading, album leaks, and auto-tune. What do you feel will take over this decade as the biggest news items and why?
MM: What I see happening in the next decade for pretty much every kind of music, and it already happens in the rap world pretty often, is the demise of the full album. With the lack of attention spans these days, and the ability to just download single songs from so many different bands, I just don’t see how full albums will be relevant. You see a lot of rappers releasing one big hit single, then they go tour for a few months on that one single. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened to all kinds of music. There aren’t many people who listen to albums front to back anymore, unfortunately.
Thank you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. Any final thoughts?
MM: My final thoughts would just be to go buy our album when it comes out on October 12th! Don’t steal it! (Haha) Also, keep an eye out for tour dates because we’re hitting every place in the world pretty much in the next year. Be prepared!
REVIEWS////
For We Are Many
[Prosthetic Records/Razor & Tie]
Score: 8
Stream: “The Last Time”
All That Remains is back and they have new tricks up their sleeves with For We Are Many. The album has that signature sound of All That Remains, but the songs still sound fresh and amazing. They are also still great at writing songs as evident in songs like “The Last Time” and the title track. “Some Of The People, All Of The Time” features death growls and a breakdown at the end of the song that you would never expect to hear from All That Remains, and it surprisingly works on the song. Then on “Won’t Go Quietly”, you get an amazing guitar solo with a great effect added to it. These are only a few examples of the new tricks to be found throughout the entire album. All That Remains has become popular enough to crack the billboard, and this album deserves to break it; this is one of their best efforts as a band, and you can even call the album a bit diverse. This is one of the must have releases in the mainstream metal scene this Fall, and maybe even year. (RW)
SECOND OPINION
Score: 8
Stream: “The Last Time”
It’s been a while since I’ve followed this band’s releases, so I can’t make any real comparisons between their albums. That being said, For We Are Many does bring back old memories of the All That Remains I knew years ago. Their sound hasn’t changed much at all, though there are some more death metal elements now showing themselves from time to time. “The Last Time” is clearly a stand out track of the album thanks to its memorable chorus of uprising, but there are a handful of other strong moments on this record you could point to in detail (such as the intense “Some Of The People, All Of The Time”). For We Are Many is a success on many levels, despite not providing us anything truly new along the way. (NL)
ALL THAT REMAINS – Tour Dates
For We Are Many, the highly anticipated album from All That Remains will be released October 12th, the same day the band will head out on a month-long headlining tour throughout the United States. All That Remains will kick off the tour in San Francisco, CA at The Regency Ballroom on release day and hit venues throughout the country before their final US date of 2010 in New York, NY on November 11th. Supporting All That Remains will be Asking Alexandria and And She Whispered, with Unearth and Born Of Osiris on select dates of the tour.
For We Are Many will be released through Prosthetic Records / Razor & Tie and can be preordered now via Prosthetic Records (http://store.prostheticrecords.com/). Decibel Magazine called the new album “Proof that neck-snapping tempos, thoughtful soloing and a catchy chorus or three can co-exist.” An exclusive version of the album will go live on iTunes September 14th which will include a bonus track available only to those who preorder the album, and an instant download of the album’s debut single “Hold On.” The video for “Hold On” will be filmed during the first week of September and will debut later in the fall.
The album was recorded this spring at Zing Studios in Massachusetts and produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who also handled This Darkened Heart and The Fall of Ideals. Prior to their headlining tour, All That Remains will join As I Lay Dying and Unearth on a nationwide tour in September and October. After their headlining US tour, the band will head to Europe for dates in November and December.
The five-piece metal band is Phil Labonte (vocals), Oli Herbert (guitar), Mike Martin (guitar), Jeanne Sagan (bass) and Jason Costa (drums). Prior to For We Are Many, the band has released four albums, selling over 650,000 records. 2008′s Overcome, All That Remains’ last studio album, has sold nearly 240,000 copies to date, debuting at #16 on the Billboard 200, and yielding the Top 10 active rock smash “Two Weeks.”
ALL THAT REMAINS TOUR DATES
Oct 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
Oct 15 – San Diego, CA – Soma
Oct 16 – West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
Oct 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Fremont East District
Oct 20 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
Oct 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
Oct 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Event Complex
Oct 25 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounging
Oct 26 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Oct 27 – Dallas, TX – The Palladium Showroom
Oct 29 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Oct 30 – Orlando, FL – The Club at Firestone
Oct 31 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend
Nov 6 – Hartford, CT – Webster Theater
Nov 11 – New York, NY – Best Buy Theater
10/12 -> 10/17 – All That Remains with Asking Alexandria, Unearth & And She Whispered
10/20 -> 11/11 – All That Remains with Asking Alexandria, Born Of Osiris & And She Whispered
PRECEDING TOUR DATES WITH AS I LAY DYING AND UNEARTH
Sept 14 – El Paso, TX – Club 101
Sept 15 – Odessa, TX – Dos Amigos
Sept 16 – Abilene, TX – Midnight Rodeo
Sept 18 – Memphis, TN – New Daisy Theater
Sept 19 – Knoxville, TN – Valarium
Sept 20 – Convington, KY – Madison Theater
Sept 21 – Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room
Sept 23 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Sept 24 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights
Sept 26 – Quebec City, QC – Theater Imperial
Sept 27 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
Sept 28 – Ottawa, ON – Capital Music Hall
Sept 29 – London, ON – Cowboy’s
Oct 1 – Winnipeg, MB – Garrick Centre
Oct 3 – Saskatoon, SK – Odeon Events Centre
Oct 4 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Oct 5 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Events Centre
Oct 7 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theater
Oct 8 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
Oct 10 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
ALL THAT REMAINS LINKS
http://www.allthatremainsonline.com
http://www.myspace.com/allthatremains
http://www.facebook.com/allthatremains
http://www.youtube.com/user/allthatremainsmusic
http://www.twitter.com/philthatremains
