What’s up? It’s your old boy Waldo here, to inform you about some new and upcoming releases, good, bad or otherwise. Remember, I’m not an elitist, you just have terrible taste.
Unearth releases their eight full length The Wretched; The Ruinous. I’ve never been a fan, so I’ll try to review this fairly. On first listen, this seems like a pretty solid slab of thrashy metalcore. But, after a second listen, it’s apparent that the vocals—which sound crazy—are heavily processed and blown out to give the impression that vocalist Trevor Phipps is screaming his head off. The drums sound kinda fake and processed too, but no more than say Morbid Angel or a band like that.
Although the guitars sound pretty nasty, the melodic parts come across as wimpy. So onto the actual songs, huh? Well, there are a few standout tracks here, but most of the record just kinda has track that are not that great, and although there are some moshable moments, the whole vibe of the record feels like old-school Unearth—without the songwriting. I’m sure fans of this band will seem to think I’m being too critical, and that this is a great record. People (and birds) can disagree. 5 Fucking Pecks.
My owner used to be in a band that played with Jerome’s Dream all of the time. Spazy, screamo abounds here with a total lack of low end. Their label describes The Gray In Between as “unapologetically blistering, yet beautiful execution of hardcore that demonstrates a honed precision in songwriting, lyrical content and boundless passion. This album is quite possibly the band’s best, most powerful and most realized work to date.” If ANY of that is true (to be fair, I haven’t read the lyrics) this must be one of the worst bands around. Seriously, even using the word “hardcore” to describe this is such a misnomer. This is the type of arty punk that existed in the late ’90s through early 2000s and should’ve died there. Proof that some reunions suck. 2 Fucking Pecks.
Waldo Out!
