More nu-metally metalcore from this not-so-secretive-anymore band that feature ex-members of a lot of other Solid State related acts, but it's pretty tasteful for what it is, and I'm definitely a fan of these guys. As with their first record the recording is totally fuckin' pro, and aside from drums that sound a little too triggered to me I have no quarrels with it. Even the percussion sounds pretty motherfuckin' good 95% of the time. The vocals jump from singing to screaming, with some ultra extreme sneers on rare occasion, and the core of guitars/bass sounds totally slick. I love that shit. The songs tend to be pretty heavy and stripped down with a few synth accents here and there (fairly well handled) and lots of melody, with a few more laidback passages getting more somber, but never hitting on anything silly or "emo" or whatever. "My Heartstrings Come Undone" does start out sounding like some recently popular Linkin Park song though, and I can't help but get a chuckle out of that. I think the singing vocals have improved, while the aggressive vocals are definitely clearer and more textured, a bit more varied... sometimes too rhythmic for me to totally appreciate, but cool for the most part. Despite being a little groovy and stripped down, the title track is a definite standout because the melodic riffing is a lot more memorable, and I love that action. I think I liked their first record a little bit better, because aside from the aforementioned title track and one or two others, this is a pretty consistent listen that doesn't jump out at me very often. It's all good, nothing makes me go, "Ahhh, this sucks, next!" But all the same, it's a little bland in the writing department for a good chunk of the record. It's sort of long, too - adding to that somewhat dull effect. As usual with these guys the layout's really damn nice, including a massive 28-page booklet (all in black and white) with lyrics, shitloads of artsy band photos, etc. There's some subtle metallic silver ink involved, too - a nice touch. As far as the lyrics go, they're more bitter and almost pessimistic than one might anticipate, definitely falling more in line with the aesthetics of the packaging. The content's actually more developed and better presented than the first record as well: "Within the mind of modern culture there's an idle cog, It is the section of humanity that never forgot, And in the midst of moving forward we have given the right to let the wolves attack the sheep and bury guilt inside, I won't forget the twisted picture of the filth that we were..." A good record, not the best I feel these guys could do, but good. Right about on par with their debut, no great changes have been made to their delivery. I'm still expecting bigger things from 'em in the future.
[Solid State]
Running time - 54:45, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Not Ready to Die, Summer of Darkness, Annihilate the Corrupt, I Play Dead]
Demon Hunter - http://www.demonhunter.net
