Before Their Eyes - Untouchable - Review

As music progresses over time, isolated genres seem to lose their forward motion. Rock and Roll advanced and branched off into countless new genres which all progressed as their own bodies. But now as that gets old, and everything we know is maxed out, the only measure left is to experiment with genre hybrids. Before Their Eyes has taken this to their own extreme with their third studio album ‘Untouchable’. While it is labeled as post-hardcore, very little of the album can be bunched into a single category. The Findlay, Ohio based band has taken the style that they nailed down in their sophomore album, ‘Dawn of My Death’ as the base for each song and infused several other styles to stitch together a “Frankenalbum” of sorts.

The first track, ‘Hey, Dude’ should not be mistaken for a representation of the full album. The verse is heavy and the chorus is pop-ier, which vaguely describes the flow of the album, but not well. This is definitely the most unique song on the CD. More bluntly, the chorus is catchy, but the verse is an off-key massacre of strained yelling and an overabundance of ugly chords. After this, the order of the songs quickly stops making sense. Directly after enduring the album’s brutal opening, half of the album passes by before hearing anything similar to the first track again. ‘Sing To Me’ starts off this mild marathon. It is a beautiful melodic track, albeit misplaced. This songs basic formula is essentially the only thing that every song shares: swimming vocals, melodic guitars, and a heavy bass drum.

Kicking off the diversity, ‘Not Alone’ almost takes on a 90’s disco theme, though a very uplifting song. While ‘Love Is Misery’ is a little cliché. It plays the role of the sappy love song that every pop/rock/post-hardcore album has to include for some reason. ‘My Match, Your Fire’ however, is more fun. It sounds more like their previous album ‘Dawn of My Death’, mostly on the part of the vocal style of Nick Moore and the southern rock guitars of Landon Tewers and Elliot Gruenberg. It does contain a short, but point making guitar solo as well, which adds flavour.

Yet farther down the genre train is ‘Start With Today’, a duet ballad with a very unexpected twist of bluegrass that I don’t know what to think about. Another twist they throw in after this is a full metal transition to ‘Bulletproof’. It catches you off guard but it is still a healthy mix of metal and post-hardcore. Until the sludgy breakdown two minutes in, that is. This trend is continued for three more tracks. ‘Finding a Way’ is a catchy, clean vocal dominated track with another swell breakdown and a respectable mash up of heavy rhythm and vibrant melody. ‘Hell or High Water’ is by far the heaviest song on the album though, and very well done considering it was not their primary style. It bears an intense, but short breakdown at the very end of the track that I have played back more times than I expected to.

BTE is clearly delving into a heavier sound, but not exclusively. They still cannot leave behind their roots. Which is good, but concerning the matter of progression as a band, they should have been more consistent with their sound or at least mixed up the tracks more creatively. The vocal variety of Nick Moore and Landon Tewers has expanded and improved however. Aside from the standard singing, which is already spot on, they throw in low growls in several tracks like ‘Bulletproof’ and ‘Hey, Dude’ and hardcore yells in ‘Finding a Way’. There is even some use of soprano in ‘Rick Vs. Nick’, one of the most diverse of the heavier tracks.

‘Untouchable’ contains two extremes: very soft and sweet like The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and angry metal that parallels The Devil Wears Prada. Within these two sides they have created a wide range of everything in between. There is something for everyone, but it may be difficult for most people to enjoy the whole album. Nevertheless, fans of The Wedding, Saosin, Burden of a Day, or The Devil Wears Prada should be able to appreciate this album. I am giving ‘Untouchable’ 3 Napkins out of 5.

Artist: Before Their Eyes
Album: Untouchable
Label: Rise Records
Release: March 9, 2010
Length: 37:54
Rating: 3/5 Napkins

Demon Hunter - The World Is A Thorn - Review

Whenever a band says something like “this will be our heaviest and most melodic album yet”, I get nervous. Especially after what I would call a subpar performance of ‘Storm the Gates of Hell’, I was skeptical of Demon Hunter’s new material. But low and behold! I was very pleasantly surprised by their fifth studio album ‘The World Is A Thorn’. It holds the position of one of those very rare occasions where a band reaches there climax, begins to slide, and then release another superior album. Of course, everyone will hold strongly to their own opinions, but critically and practically, this is easily the best album DH has ever released. They have somehow managed to improve upon every single area of their performance, change their sound significantly, yet still sound just like Demon Hunter. When showing this album to a friend, he remarked, “Wow, this is so different, but you can still tell it’s Demon Hunter”. Inelegant, but a perfect explanation of the album.

Demon Hunter has always played their own special breed of metal, one which no other band has been able to duplicate, leaving them with no competition to sully their style. Any competition, were there any, would have to deal with DH at the top of their game.

The change is apparent immediately. First with the epic-as-can-be opening, slow and more intensifying as it goes. That unforgettably low, crunchy guitar tone that keeps Demon Hunter true to themselves opens up with fantastic scream from Ryan Clark. Everything happens at once and may take a few rewinds to take in at once. First of all, Drummer Yogi Watts is actually playing a hardcore beat, allowing DH to finally attain the moniker of “metalcore”. ‘Descending Upon Us’ deals a full 5 minute body blow, taking hold and not letting go. Yogi Watts has never played this fast or aggressive, that making a big impression alone. But what will seize your attention even quicker is the drastically improved guitar on account of the departure of both DH’s previous guitarists, Ethan Luck and Don Clark. Replacing them with Patrick Judge and Ryan Helm (of The Ascendicate) on lead and rhythm guitar was one of the best changes DH has ever made. Fear not the lineup change.

A seamless transition from the opening brings us to ‘LifeWar’, a uniquely slow tempo, yet incredibly catchy track powered by an odd, yet appropriate marching snare beat. It is painfully simple and short enough to be an interlude, but still one of the heaviest tracks DH has written. Then take a step sideways to an anthem-like ‘Collapsing’. The vocal quality is almost entirely clean, but the music holds steady at loud and heavier than normal for DH. Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork and Disarmonia Mundi lends his voice on this track as well, although it is hard to pick out from Ryan Clark’s similar sounding voice. Slow down for a second and prepare for the closest thing to a breakdown that you’ll ever hear DH play. But who cares about that? There’s a freaking guitar solo happening at the same time! You heard me correctly, Demon Hunter played a guitar solo (one of several sprinkled throughout the album). Thank you, Patrick Judge for making my day.

‘This Is the Line’, ‘Tie This Around your Neck’, and the title track carry further DH’s new found harshness not previously heard on their other albums. ‘Just Breathe’ carries a more unique sound yet, adding violent and delicious vocals from Scar Symmetry’s Christian Alvestam, as well as backup vocals from Patrick Judge, and even some gang vocals thrown in. Not to mention the opening sounds a lot like Project 86 (you know how Aaron Sprinkle loves to tweak his music).

Then of course there are a couple ballads to season the album. Ballads, say I? Of course ballads, it’s Demon Hunter. ‘Driving Nails’ is probably one of the better ballads DH has written, though a little cliché in the structure, but ultimately very catchy. ‘Blood In the Tears’ however, while a quality track, may have demanded too much with its 4 minute length. I had a hard time enjoying it for very long.

While their unique style has always maintained them a powerful fan base, (i.e. The Blessed Resistance) ‘The World Is A Thorn’ really shows how much they have been limiting themselves all this time. There is nothing that has not been improved upon in this album. Yogi Watts has pushed the envelope with the height of his drumming, probably the best he has ever played for DH. Ryan Clark once again experiments with all new vocal styles, and Jon Dunn’s veteran bass is a staple that holds together DH’s low, growling sound. Finally, and probably most importantly, the additions of Patrick judge and Ryan Helm on lead and rhythm guitars have allowed DH to form a deep and meaningful relationship with a lofty new level of guitaring.

This is an excellent album. That being said, there will always be those who disapprove of change, and this has been the biggest and bravest change that DH has deployed. I am confident however, that the new fans gained will outweigh any stragglers that refuse to follow. For previous DH fans, this album is a no brainer. Love it or hate it. But for those of you who are unfamiliar to the band, try it out if you are a fan of bands like Living Sacrifice or Becoming the Archetype. Understand though, that it is difficult to compare DH to any other style.

Demon Hunter made a daring attempt at a big change with ‘Storm the Gates of Hell’. I feel that ‘The World Is A Thorn’ took them one step further towards that new sound. Adding much faster drumming, new vocal styles, and improved guitaring beyond words, Demon Hunter has reached new and different heights than those of ‘The Triptych’. I am very anxious to see if their next album may very well perfect their current aspirations. I give ‘The World Is A Thorn’ 4.5 out of 5 napkins.

Artist: Demon Hunter
Album: The World Is A Thorn
Release: March 9, 2010
Label: Solid State Records
Length: 41:49
Rating: 4.5/5