I'm going to review the reissue of Sinai Beach's debut album by Victory Records.  I do own the original print but it's so terrible in production it's not even worth listening or recommendation.  So forget about the original print and let's focus on the reissue.  Sinai Beach was your typical metalcore during the height of the core music in early 2000s and they were signed to Facedown then Victory Records.  Unless you are metalcore superfan and want to own every single metalcore album in existence then don't bother with this one.

The production definitely improves over the original issue but still can't save this album.  The album is full of boring and predictable breakdowns and the vocals is awful.  There's some sound clips from random movies inserted in couple tracks and that just doesn't work here.  It works very well for Zao but Zao is good at everything they does.  I think Sinai Beach was trying to be like them but they threw in the clips just to be "different".  You can't be different for the sake of being different.  If it has purpose then do it, but if it doesn't then don't bother.  That's an important lesson all new and upcoming bands need to learn.  Unfortunately they didn't so it ruined the album in my opinion.

Score: 3/10 (gotta give them Candice song which was actually decent)

Labels: american, metalcore, review, sinai beach

Third album by Norma Jean and quite possibly one of their best work.  I'm very impressed and surprised because I thought they are done for after that Redeemer debacle.  This album is definitely different and has some typical chaotic metalcore, post hardcore, and even post rock songs.  There's a lot of guest musicians like Chris Moreno, Page Hamilton, Cove Reber, etc.  That's pretty cool and something different coming from Norma Jean.

It's definitely not same as their earlier works ala Bless The... and O'God... albums but it's a huge improvement than Redeemer like I said earlier.  The first few songs are your typical Norma Jean chaos and full of heaviness and breakdowns.  The later songs are more softer and full of "post" influences.  All of the guest musicians did great and adds something nice to the songs they worked on.  The production is great as usual which is what I always expect from them.  However, the album isn't perfect... far from it in fact.  There's couple of filler tracks that I felt were put in there just to make it a full length album.  I know I said it's one of their best albums but that doesn't mean it's the best album ever.  Basically it's a solid metalcore album for all those who enjoy that scene.


Score: 7/10

Labels: metal, metalcore, norma jean

I actually forgot I have this album in my collection.  What a blast from past...  A Thousand Times Repent is a metalcore band from Atlanta, GA and they only have been together for a short time.  As far as I know they only have one album released, which is "Virtue Has Few Friends".  It's an alright album and really only for people who dig metalcore music.  It has some good moments and many forgettable moments as well. 

There is no great song on the album but there are few good ones like "Curses! Another Shape-Shifting Wraith!" and "Complete Relinquish. Utter Abandon".  The rest are pretty much boring or just plainly sucks.  One thing that really bother me a lot is the way the album is very disjointed.  There's some heavy, almost deathcorey, songs and some clean acoustic songs.  Don't get me wrong, I dig albums with variety but for some reason it just doesn't work here.  The songs are too different and doesn't really have anything to do with each other.  It feels like they just created different songs and throw them together without considering how the songs can flow together.

If you are a metalcore aficionado, then go ahead and check this album out.  If not then just move on... nothing to hear here.  You can always download just the two songs I mentioned earlier and that's all you need from this band really.

Score: 4/10

Labels: a thousand times repent, christian, metalcore

  A California metalcore band, Thyne Scabbard, was founded in early 2000's and released only one full length as far as I know.  This debut album laid in my cd collection and has been collecting dust til few days ago and I went through my collection and I decided to give it a listen.  Honestly, I cannot remember if I gave it a listen when I obtained it years ago.

   Musicially, the band is straight up metalcore with some death metal influences.  A lot of people said it has some black metal tones in it but I don't really hear it anywhere with exception for the vocals which is high and raspy but I don't really consider that solely black metal... just a vocal style, nothing more.  The drums is very loud and clear throughout the album.  The biggest disappointment for me is the bass.  For some reason it sounds pretty fuzzy and it's more of a background and supporting the guitars.  I would like to hear the bass player to be more assertive and do some of his own solos.  Guitars is very solid and crisp.  The production is not really consistent but that's to be expected with this being an independent release.  Doesn't really bother that much.. just a note for those audiophiles.

  So far, my favorite tracks are The King of Abandon,  Lies, Lust, and Redemption,  and To Those Who Cursed Me.  Those songs are fast, heavy, and very catchy.  I definitely can see the band's potential to develop their sound with those songs.  However, the album also has some awful songs such as Reaching Out With Broken Fingers, which is boring and sound like it is a combination of two other songs on the album.   I don't like to hear an album where the songs are bit samey and I detect that with this album.  I still have to say it's a pretty solid debut album and I expect the band to progress further with next album if they do plan on it.

Score: 7/10

Labels: death metal, metal, metalcore, review, thyne scabbard

I am officially a writer on the Untombed staff so I've been doing interviews and reviews. I've gotten permission to type in my reviews here from the magazine. However, I strongly encouraged you guys to purchase the magazine from www.divinemetaldistro.com because it's awesome! :)



Sit At My Right Hand-As The Sun Sets

An EP by Sit At My Right Hand and one of two CDs released this year. The guy is definitely one busy dude. The music is straight up death metal and it's very brutal. Some said they have experimental sound but I disagree because there's nothing new that's being done. I'm glad the production is much better with this EP than the debut album. I dig the passionate lyrics and I can see that this guy is very genuine about his beliefs and his goal for this band. However, the music composition is decent at best. The guitar riffs are good without any doubt. The drums...not so much. I really think they need to get someone who can play drums or at least know what he/she is doing with drum programming. If they invest more in that then the next album will be much better. What would be even better is for them to be picked up by a record label to get some good mastering done. I would recommend this for any fan of death metal and if you are not then don't bother. 4/7



Darkness Before Dawn-Kings To You

Darkness Before Dawn is a death metal band with considerable metalcore influences. This is their debut album released by Bombworks Records. It is too bad it was kind of "lost in the shuffle" among many releases over the summer. This is actualy a decent death metal album with nice symphonic elements with the keyboards. They do pull some breakdowns in a couple of songs and I think it's done pretty well. The best song definitely is "Undeserved hatred" which is full of great double bass drummings, spooky keys, and some great guitar riffs. The keys is bit more of a background and supporting the composition as the whole. Some people may not like that bu tI think it's a perfect mix. The main complaint I have about this album is the vocals. I think it gets boring and I've been focusing a lot on the guitar riffs and drumming to keep myself interested. The other thing is the album cover art is way too dark and should be much brighter so I can see the details. 5/7

Labels: darkness before dawn, death metal, metalcore, review, sit at my right hand, untombed

The Human Abstract is one fantastic progressive metalcore band. They released one of my absolutely favorite debut album, "Nocturne" in 2006. A friend of mine introduced to a music video by them and that's what got me hooked on this album.

The production is pretty good considering its a debut album and the band put a lot of emphasis on clear production for vocals and the guitar works. The only complaint I have here is that I don't really hear the bass that well and the drums was more of a "background" noise on this album. I can tell the drumming was excellent but they put a bit too much focus on the guitar so drums got a little bit lost in the picture.

I really love the way the guitarists kept playing different riffs but at same time its all cohesive. There is no "samey" songs in the album and I can definitely tell the difference between each songs. That is very refreshing and something different in the metalcore scene at that time. A.J. is definitely talented guitarist and unfortunately he is not with the band anymore. That got to be the biggest blow for the band.

If you are bored of the typical metalcore and want something refreshing and different then I definitely recommend this album. Its really excellent and I still listen to it regularly after two years so far.

Best Song: "Vela, Together We Await The Storm" and "Crossing the Rubicon"- two of their most complicated and successful songs. Love almost everything about those two songs.

Worst Song: "Desiderata"-the least interesting song on the tracklist. Still a decent song though.


Here's a music video for you guys to check out. Its seriously good!




Score: 8.5/10 (lost some points for mostly inaudible bass and drums being background noise)

www.myspace.com/thehumanabstract

Labels: american metal, metalcore, progressive metal, progressive metalcore, review, the human abstract

A Plea For Purging is a well known metalcore band from Tenn. This is their sophomore album and an improvement over the debut album. I remember the debut album being full of energy but bit too generic for my taste. Now, this album is still a bit generic but the energy is still there! I really dig the energy they had and that is probably why they are doing so well right now. I really dig the song Malevolence and Traitor. This is a good album if you dig metalcore that is more metal than the core with breakdowns. That is one thing I really like about them a lot....not full of breakdowns. I would love it if they stop being generic and bring some more creativity in the next album. 6/10


www.myspace.com/apleaforpurging

Labels: a plea for purging, american metal, christian, metalcore, review