Unearth | Darkness In The Light
by Cyndi Jo
Staff Writer
For those who don’t understand Unearth, the only thing to understand is that they are probably the only band that can still maintain the right amount of consistency in the now Hot Topic, money grabbing, metal-core scene. Even though the last effort, The March, received nothing but bad reviews, these Massachusetts natives have taken their original sound and exhilarated it with tremendous breakdowns, speedy drum fills, and a good amount of refined melodic choruses that they know how to do. The fifth full length effort, Darkness In The Light, is still not as innovative as most metal critics would want it to be, but it’s still a good summer record that is nothing but a series of head-smashing hits.
One of the heaviest tracks in this album is the first single “Eyes of Black.” With a southern style influence twist on two-step drum fills by Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley, this song has summer crowd favorite written all over it. Another amazing aspect of this album is the production value it has. The opening guitar riff in first song “Watch It Burn,” only proves that Unearth’s career isn’t over. The use of double basses in “Ruination of The Lost” is 210 seconds of strong alluring notes. The embodiment of a perfect metal world of fast-paced riffs, progressive melodic harmonies, and monstrous vocals is defined in “Arise the War Cry” — by far the best track in the album.
All in all, Unearth could say that they made a comeback with Darkness in the Light. It’s a solid record with fresh original work that manages to be proficient in the over-saturated metal-core scene.
Fact is not everyone is going to give Unearth a chance, including that one 40-something metal-head in South Dakota . But there’s 100 scene kids walking into a Hot Topic to get a copy of Darkness in the Light everywhere else.
Genre: Metal Core
Band:
Ken Susi,
Trevor Phipps
Buz McGrath
John Maggard
Justin Foley
Track Listing
1. Watch it Burn
2. Ruination of the Lost
3. Shadows in the Light
4. Eyes of Black
5. Last Wish
6. Arise the War Cry
7. Equinox
8. Coming of the Dark
9. The Fallen
10. Overcome
11. Disillusion
Label: Metal Blade
Web site: unearth.tv
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10