This review will appear in the next edition of the Underground Sound, out next month @ http://undergroundrecords.org/sound
Unchained - Collision
It starts off good, and gets much better. You need to listen closely, both the music and lyrics are really good. While at first it might be easy to kinda put it off because very little of it, as most stuff you'll come across today, hasn't appeared in many places before. So you might be tempted to think it's not very original. After a listen or two though you'll realize the familiarity is part of the album's sticking power. It's as if you got tastes of many things coming one after the other, from the millennial overtone with an Iommi riff undertone (opener Signs Of Doom) showing shades of Dimebag, and the excellent singing harmonies which are across the entire set. Their sound has well enough of the screamcore, blast beats and gear shifting to keep many who've just got into heavy music the past couple of decades interested, and enough maturity in the arrangements, presentation, and musicality to keep long time hard rock listeners intrigued. One thing liked is the big power chords and wicked crunch!
Melody is the key to the band's power. Not only the harmonizing, but they don't try and kill their grooves with complexity, there is a nice mix of smooth and harsh parts, with steady 4/4's as well as cut time runs. Above it all, riffs riding strong and free, traditionally and tonally familiar, producing feelings of knowing while presenting edgy dramatic overtures, making good use of rests and silence, as the better ones do. While I am sure it will be hard for the band to get away from My Bloody Valentine comparisons, some of this is close enough to have come from that camp; but you've got plenty of influences like Bowie and Metallica in the mix so that you can't quite put your finger on it. I think it might be their deep european roots, that always throws a bit of something extra in the mix. While this may not be the best album they'll do, a bit of work on the identity, one of the next one or two might be. I liked their first album, but this one much, much more. Collision is an outstanding sophomore effort! Contact: http://unchained-metal.de/
Unchained - Collision
It starts off good, and gets much better. You need to listen closely, both the music and lyrics are really good. While at first it might be easy to kinda put it off because very little of it, as most stuff you'll come across today, hasn't appeared in many places before. So you might be tempted to think it's not very original. After a listen or two though you'll realize the familiarity is part of the album's sticking power. It's as if you got tastes of many things coming one after the other, from the millennial overtone with an Iommi riff undertone (opener Signs Of Doom) showing shades of Dimebag, and the excellent singing harmonies which are across the entire set. Their sound has well enough of the screamcore, blast beats and gear shifting to keep many who've just got into heavy music the past couple of decades interested, and enough maturity in the arrangements, presentation, and musicality to keep long time hard rock listeners intrigued. One thing liked is the big power chords and wicked crunch!
Melody is the key to the band's power. Not only the harmonizing, but they don't try and kill their grooves with complexity, there is a nice mix of smooth and harsh parts, with steady 4/4's as well as cut time runs. Above it all, riffs riding strong and free, traditionally and tonally familiar, producing feelings of knowing while presenting edgy dramatic overtures, making good use of rests and silence, as the better ones do. While I am sure it will be hard for the band to get away from My Bloody Valentine comparisons, some of this is close enough to have come from that camp; but you've got plenty of influences like Bowie and Metallica in the mix so that you can't quite put your finger on it. I think it might be their deep european roots, that always throws a bit of something extra in the mix. While this may not be the best album they'll do, a bit of work on the identity, one of the next one or two might be. I liked their first album, but this one much, much more. Collision is an outstanding sophomore effort! Contact: http://unchained-metal.de/