Scar Symmetry "Pitch Black Progress" (Nuclear Blast) Sounds Like: Kind of like later period Soilwork, except with deeply growled vocals instead of screams, and even cheesier clean-vocal crooning. And the riffs aren't nearly as sweet. C+
For years, Nuclear Blast Records provided metal fans with a steady stream of adventurous bands, often from Europe. Scar Symmetry is no exception. There is something about this band that sounds blatantly Euro-metal. Most likely it's the keyboards that are ever-present in the background, adding a nice ambience. Perhaps it's the clean, fluid, neo-classical guitar shredding that calls to mind Yngwie Malmsteen. Additionally, the clean vocals are very reminiscent of power metal, without the high-pitched shrieks. Depending on the listener, this could be either good or bad. Vocalist Christian ?lvestam almost sounds as if he's trying to be a crooner. He definitely has a good voice for clean-vocal crooning. Unfortunately, there is really no place in metal for it.
As far as metal vocalists go, Alvestam definitely has one hell of a growl. It works great in the really heavy parts of the songs. And the heavy parts are pretty cool. The drumming is tight and fast and the riffs are competently performed and make a good foundation. The keyboards add a nice level of evil-ness during the heavy parts. The guitar riffs tend to be rather bone-headed and simplistic, and for the most part forgettable.
That's not to say that this is a bad album. The songwriting is pretty good (despite the fairly lame riffs), and they definitely know how to play their instruments. This band tends to be at their best during really epic and melodic parts. Specifically, when Alvestam begins to belt, rather than croon, over the tasteful keyboards and melodic soloing on the guitars.
Scar Symmetry is not a bad band. However, they do nothing to stand out from the glut of melodic Euro-metal bands. This album could really appeal to fans of any kind of metal, however. Specifically, those who like their metal with a side of cheese (keyboards and clean vocals) would enjoy this. They could potentially put out a really killer album, but in order to do that they must first sharpen their riff-writing, and, more importantly, stake out a sound that is their own.
-ANDREW YONKI
Exodus "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (Nuclear Blast Records) Sounds Like: Every current European heavy metal band-a shell of great trash metal. C
In case anyone has been living under a rock for the past 20 years, one might remember a little band from the 80's responsible for acts like Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. Their name is Exodus. Founded by Tom Hunting, Gary Holt and Kirk Hammett, Exodus played a raucous brand of metal that got the attention of many who had before then, thought Def Leppard was the heaviest thing anyone had ever heard.
Kirk left the band to join a little band called Metallica and Exodus has seen many hard times, including the recent death of singer Paul Baloff. However, they are hoping to put all the bad times behind them and continue playing heavy music, unfortunately, they are now only a shell of what they used to be and it comes through in their music as their new album, "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" is another forgettable effort from an aging band that should have hanged up the rocking shoes a long time ago.
"Shovel Headed Kill Machine," is a record that fulfills all your metal stereotypes: Heavy generic riffs with solos, check; loud raspy singer who cusses a lot and sings about killing stuff, check; crazy, graphic album cover, check. Anything you could ever find in every metal band, you can find in this band, and for a band like Exodus, this is extremely sad. Songs like "Dethamphetamine" and "Altered Boy," while heavy and catchy in structure, are ridiculously cheesy.
The album is not without its cool tracks. "I am Abomination" and "44 Magnus Opus" are heavy metal masterpieces opting to focus more on the technicality of the guitars rather than the drudge of heavy riffs and the obligatory solo. Still, much of the album is just that. "Now Thy Death Day Come" is another tribute to mediocrity as by now one might thinking, "how many times are they going to mention death or use death in a pun?"
"Shovel Headed Kill Machine" is a shell of what Exodus once was. It is a shame to see a great band like Exodus fall victim to the traps of trendy metal, but it is inevitable that they would have to try and change with the times.
-CHRIS MORENO
Arch Enemy "Doomsday Machine" (Century Media) Sounds Like: Swedish Death Metal Riff-Fest. B
Arch Enemy, in the past few years, has become one of the biggest names in the heavy metal underground. A bit of this media attention, however, can be traced back to their 2002 release Wages of Sin, their first album to feature female vocalist Angela Gossow. It's a shame, because as hot as she is, Gossow should definitely not be the reason for Arch Enemy's rise in attention.
While Arch Enemy's home-base of Gothenberg, Sweden, would lead many to quickly lump them in with bands like In Flames or At the Gates, that only tells part of the story. The truth is that it's difficult in general to define a sound for that particular geographic location. All bands tend to have their own sonic calling card, and that holds true for Arch Enemy. Arch Enemy focuses on creating classic metal riffs, with a modern, razor-sharp thrash approach. The heaviness of death metal is there, adding a touch of brutality to the music. The death metal influence, however, is most clearly heard in the vocals of Angela Gossow. Her deep, distorted vocals sound a lot like Jeff Walker of Carcass, except, as irony would have it, she sounds like she possesses the pair of testicles, not Walker. The harsh vocals stand as nice contrast against the melodic riffs and leads of the Amott brothers, but sometimes her vocals are distorted to the point of being almost overbearing. The creepiest part, to be a bit sexist, is to be aware of the fact that these grating, violent vocals are the product of a rather attractive blonde. However, this doesn't take away from the killer metal-ness of this album. For the guitar and drum work alone, this album is pretty much required listening for fans of heavy metal. For some, the vocals might be a bit off-putting, but those into death metal will be all right with it. The songs for the most part are well written, and are catchy in spite of the harsh vocals. The Amott brothers clearly spend a lot of time writing riffs that vary not only in terms of tempos and rhythms, but also in the general sound of the riffs. Observe the use of clean guitar textures in "My Apocalypse." Much metal these days tends to rely on riffs that, for the most part, sound similar. Gossow might not be the best vocalist Arch Enemy could ask for, but she does a good enough job that the album doesn't suffer much. There have been better death metal albums, but there have been a lot more that aren't as good as this one. Arch Enemy definitely knows how to write and record a solid album, with very little filler.
-ANDREW YONKI
The Subways "Young for Eternity" (WEA) Sounds like: An early Strokes meets an early Franz Ferdinand. C+
When one picks up the new Subways album, what will it be like? Is it going to be a fun Brit rock album with a fun beat, strong guitar strokes, and a signature voice that's a little immature and screechy but ultimately pleasing? Well, yes it is, and that's not a bad thing. "Young for Eternity" starts out with a lot of energy, especially with "Holiday," a track that sounds like a song a lot of au currant bands could have written. But, The Subways wrote it and it sounds original. Then "Rock and Roll Queen" comes on, which sounds like it was written five or eight years ago, but not in a bad way. The album has a back-and-forth that is, on the one hand, a sign of their versatility, but at the same time becomes a bit frustrating. Sometimes it's soft and stringy, sometimes if feels like a Garnier Fructis commercial. This is all to say that they need a little bit of tightening and focus. The end of the album absolves some of the earlier issues, especially "No Goodbyes," which is their version of ethereal, and it goes into the head-banging (sort of) song "With You," and the very dark, harmonious, and lovely song "She Sun." But The Subways complete their take on rock and roll with "Somewhere." It seems that The Subways is a band that is having fun (which makes them fun to listen to), but also one who doesn't have the discerning ear that comes after years of playing good and bad songs. This is a great early album, but time will tell if The Subways has staying power.
-MARJORIE KORN
