Unearth - The Oncoming Storm - Reviewed by Pharmer4

I like reviewing Metal Blade records because you know the production is going to be great. Something that happens when you get a professional outfit dedicated to metal that ensures it’s always the best it can be. The Oncoming Storm is no exception, and even though this isn’t Unearth’s most recent release, it is definitely one worth getting.

Right off the bat you should know that Unearth is a metalcore band, very much thrash speed with screamed and growled core-style vocal delivery and breakdowns galore. But before you make your decisions based on that, bear in mind that Unearth take the metalcore mould and give it a health stretch, bringing a descent helping of cleaner vocals that aren’t always singing, but definitely more accessible.

Also, they don’t abuse the breakdown – sure it’s a good musical device that makes a tune heavy as fuck, and they use it plenty, but they never over-do it, or make the transition so jarring that you lose your appreciation for the track.

The artwork for The Oncoming Storm is understated and appropriate, consisting of stormclouds at dusk descending on a town, bringing with them a huge twister from hell. Indications of the devastation you’ll find on this album? Well, let’s see.

The Great Dividers

Politics, not always a safe place for metal bands to venture, given that metal fans range from complete redneck conservatives right through to raving hippy liberals. Best to keep it to something everyone can relate to, like paying out whoever’s now in charge, and that’s what The Great Dividers is about.

Trevor addresses the problem everyone has with their leaders – whoever is in charge now is never as good as those who came before (“It’s true there were better ones who led their people . . . To lead their country . . . Who cared for the world”). There needs to be a strong leader and solidarity in the world.

In “The Great Dividers” Unearth asks how can this ever change unless everyone is united for the common good. Unless everyone can see eye to eye, “the nations will crumble”, while we are told lies to justify wars, and the “leaders of the world will lead into the world of the unfree” The basis of the song is a veiled look at the conduct of the conduct of the US leading up to the invasion of Iraq, describing the UN as a council of pawns duped in the quest for total control. Quite wisely, Unearth asks if hatred can bring freedom, or if it just breeds more hatred in the future.

Musically, it’s a good song. There are three distinct breakdowns, but they mesh with the song, as opposed to being glaring changes in tempo. I didn’t get that cynical feeling I get sometimes when you have a song that has a breakdown obviously inserted for no other reason than to have one. Mike’s drumming is precise and fast when it should be and pounding where it needs to be. Trevor’s delivery is as brutal as you’d expect from metalcore, while his cleaner vocals are used effectively during breakdowns and slower passages to accentuate the change in tempo.

Failure

I like the clash of tempos on the opening bars on Failure, the quick drumming and high pitched guitar work, undercut by a deep droning bass sound, giving way to the main riff as Trevor takes up the lyrics.

Again, the first breakdown segues easily, not jarring as it can be; some bands have a habit of breaking into or out of a breakdown mid-verse, which just messes up the flow of the song.

Thematically, failure could be about a few different things, such as loss of innocence or potential, but it seems to be a little more specific than that, and is probably about abortion – “This being won’t meet the world . . . die for us my child.” It’s from the point of view of someone who has had an abortion (it could be from the point of view of either male or female, it’s not indicated in the song), but I’m not sure if it is a cautionary tale so others don’t find themselves in the same position, or if it is judgemental, condemning those who resort to abortion.

There is a lot of reference to regret – “what have we done, never thought that life would come to this” – and loathing – “eternal sense of self-hatred, guilt runs through our blood.” It certainly is a strong subject, and the emotion in the lyrics effectively captures the turmoil of having to make such a momentous decision.

This Lying World

This Lying World is all about the way modern media and lifestyle dominate our lives, and how modern society plays on our fears, assailing us with worries about disease and other modern predicaments – “Be afraid of infection, be wary of evil ways”. Unearth rail at the way people use these fears to make money “smokescreen to commercialise, teller of tales spin us a line”.

This can be seen in modern culture with the search for youth in cosmetics, the overuse of disinfectants when we’ve lived thousands of years without them, or the stupidity of attaining super-thinness when it looks so disgusting. Without all this shit, and those trying to make money off of it, our society could be a much better place.

The opening riff and drum interplay on This Lying World sounds great, it actually reminds me of Korn in it’s tone, but with actual structure. This song does have one of the most disappointing parts of the whole album, though – just before the breakdown that leads into the end of the track, Trevor actually says “breakdown”. I always find this kind of thing (like saying “drums” before a drum solo etc) lame as hell. Otherwise a great track, very heavy and meaty, with a very slow breakdown in the middle that has a great melodic guitar line over the top. The final breakdown is heavy as fuck, just a disappointment that Trevor called it.

Black Hearts Now Reign

Similar in theme to “This Lying World”, Black Hearts Now Reign looks at the propaganda and greed of big oil, and the way short term gain is used to justify the pillaging of our world and our future.

It’s interesting the way the predations of the planet are seen as an offence to a personification of this world as mother and saviour; basically mother nature. It’s not usually an image you see in metal, but it comes across very well for personalising the damage being done to our world, rather than having it seem like a distant problem future generations will have to deal with.

Trevor’s delivery on this track is the most clean it ever gets, more gravely rasp than scream, and even spoken/sung lines - “The bloody skies will reign” – although done quite low in the mix. It is a very quick paced song, and it’s almost disappointing when the breakdown kicks in, although it’s more of a pause that picks up again than a full breakdown. What’s even more amazing is that there is a solo (well, of sorts) in the last minute of the song. It’s mixed down, but it’s there.

There is a long gap after this track, then acoustic guitar starts up, which segues into the next track, Zombie Autopilot. I think this is actually supposed to be part of Zombie Autopilot, not Black Hearts Now Reign; it’s just a bit of cleverness on the album.

Zombie Autopilot

The title Zombie Autopilot is a dichotomy, ie two words that mean the same thing. Zombies are mindless automatons going about life with no motivation or purpose. An autopilot is obviously something that operates mundane tasks simply and perpetually. The song itself is exactly about this, addressing the way that people’s lives are full of the same thing, day in and day out, no one striving for greatness, trying to be different.

Musically it has a similar feel to a Dragonforce song, more highly-pitched tone and a bit quicker than previous songs, even the first breakdown has a quick tempo, and there is another solo, much to my delight.

Bloodlust Of The Human Condition

Bloodlust Of The Human Condition is lyrically similar to the preceding songs, in that it is addressing some ills in society that are just accepted by the majority as the normal way of doing things. This track is more about man’s inhumanity to man – “cold is the human heart, is the human mind” – the propensity for people to seek gain for themselves and their people at the expense of others, be it through environmental predations (as occurs with oil mining in South America), war (Iraq), or lack of action (Darfur).

Musically it is a lot slower than previous songs on the album, with the bass and drums creating a solid, heavy backbone that is accented by plenty of guitar twiddling. The opening drum sound is very hollow (think Metallica’s St Anger), but this soon changes as the rest of the instruments kick in. there aren’t any traditional breakdowns here, and it’s not really missed at this point.

Lie To Purify

Lie to purify addresses leaders who act autonomously, doing things their country and citizens don’t agree with, obeying their own vanity and serving their own ends rather than following the will of their own country. While this could apply to any dictator, it’s all too easy to think this is about George Bush’s administration.

Lie To Purify is all about how leaders (especially George) use misinformation to get their way, including the invasion of other countries – “Invade with foul fingers, lie to purify, crushing what’s not you”. Lines like this, referring to the lies used to justify the invasion of Iraq, could just as easily be applied to Goeble’s use of propaganda to justify Hitler’s extermination of the Jews.

The last part of Lies To Purify covers society’s lack of acceptance of this policy – “You stand up, then you fall. Heartless soulless appetite. You’re crossing almost every line, now it’s time to wash away.”

Musically, Lie To Purify sounds a little different – there is a guitar line going through it that sounds a lot like Load-era Metallica. It’s probably something to do with tuning, which, not being a musician, is beyond me. The solo in the last half is also interesting, reminding me slightly of the latest Mastodon offering (Blood Mountain for those not keeping up). It’s not enough to have influenced Mastodon (this album preceded Blood Mountain by some three years), but it is interesting to hear the similarities.

The use of clean vocals in the last “verse” is good too, whether intentional or not, it adds credence to the idea that this part of the track is about the general population making their voice heard.

Endless

A different topic from some of the previous tracks, Endless is about self-struggle dealing with loss and failure. Rather than the usual heavy metal songs about suicide and despair, Endless talks more about clinical depression, which really can be an endless fight, sometimes bought on by tragedy, although rarely associated with lunacy.

Depression is described here as a “Battering sickness”, which it truly is, wearing down sufferers until they have nothing left except a “Barren future” bereft of anything to look forward to.

Aries

Aries is piano-driven, not unheard of in metal or metalcore. There is only a small amount of lyrics, which are repeated three or four times. It starts out barely heard over the piano and quietly increases in volume with the piano until it all fades out again. The significance of the lyrics and the title I can’t immediately reconcile; it could be about how people treat each other like shit, or it could be referring to the influence of evil in our lives; either way, I don’t know why Aries, the astrological symbol represented by a sheep, is significant.

Predetermined Sky

Predetermined sky uses a disease afflicting humanity as an analogy for the way western countries don’t do enough to help third world countries. The first half of the track describes a world afflicted by plague, where people sell coffins in the street, and the indifference of the rich does not protect them from the disease. The last part of the lyrics switches back to our reality, asking how can we live in a world “Where millions die . . . with such a tragic side.”

The title of the track itself is an analogy – predetermined sky could be a play on the phrase ‘the sky’s the limit’, meaning humanity has a use-by date, and eventually some tragedy or catastrophe will wipe us all out.

There is an extended instrumental section in the middle of this track, a mid-paced drum and guitar break that sounds great.

False Idols

False Idols is all about Hollywood et al and the way society lavished attention on “stars”, idolising their every feat like demi-gods. It’s nothing new, but it is nice and vitriolic, which is always good.

Verdict

Unearth in general, and The Oncoming Storm particularly, is certainly more accessible than a lot of other metalcore, especially since Trevor’s voice is pretty gravely already without needing to scream the lyrics so much, making them all the more discernable. The topics covered are all familiar to metal fans, but nothing seems rehashed, making this a very worthwhile album to pick up.