This week’s segment is going to be a tad unconventional. Since I haven’t been in the mood for any classic thrash or black metal bands this week this review is going to be more of a tossback. Let’s go back into the early years of the millennium and talk about Unearth. In the early 2000’s the once underground metal scene in Massachusetts was beginning to break into the mainstream with local bands such as Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage starting to rise in popularity. Along with these two bands was another group of Massholes, Unearth; and right from the beginning this five piece were shredding their instruments to pieces and reminding the people what heavy metal was all about, supreme musicianship delivered in an aggressive way.
Regardless of how people feel about metalcore, the term in its truest sense accurately describes the overall sound of Unearth. Similar to what Suicidal Tendencies and Cro-mags were doing in the 1980’s, Unearth took the ingredients from 90’s hardcore and metal and used this to create their own unique sound, one that would help to establish metalcore as a juggernaut in the following decade.
Unearth has a rich discography in which any fan of metal is bound to find an album that appeals to them. “The Stings of Conscience” (2001) is a full out hardcore album with traces of death metal. “The Oncoming Storm” (2004) has a strong melodeath influence and is a classic album in the metalcore subgenre. “III: In the Eyes of Fire” (2006) is probably their thrashiest album thus far and contains some of the heaviest and most technical breakdowns in metal. Ken Susi and Buz McGrath really demonstrate their skills at soloing in “The March” (2008). Even their latest offering, “Darkness in the Light” (2011), has been praised for its emphasis on layered melodies.
With all of that, Unearth seems like a very diverse band. Well they definitely are, yet if I could sum up their music in three simple phrases it would go something like this. Top-notch drumming, great use of 7 string guitars, and bone crushing breakdowns. All in all, Unearth is a great band and if you’re new to metal check them out!
