So Divine Heresy has finally released their second disk. Short version it both delivers and disappoints. It's kind of like your prom date in high school. You get into the car and get to third base, life is good. You hit the hotel room and get that let down. DH have changed since bleed. They have added death metal journeyman Joe Payne on bass, and have made the controversial vocalist change. Gone is Tommy (call me Vext) Cummings, and added is Travis Neil. Tommy always came across as a Howard Jones clone, with hip hop influence. Travis Neil on the other hand has a sound that harkens to the Swedish slash throats of NWOSDM and swed thrash. On a personal note I've found I prefer Neil, though both have their flaws. The problem with Bringer isn't the vocalist it's the song writing.Bringer of plagues comes out of the gate possessed. Face breaker is exactly what I want in an opening track. It opens with a faded in riff, wicked guitar and bass arpeggios and lightning fast double bass. It has some great changes and the clean vocals work quite well. It does sport the typical Dino solo (a quick scale and ultra fast alt picking slides). It's a killer opener, and good or bad one of the best on the disk. The battle of J Casey is solid, but as to be found on most of this album its nothing really ear catching. The intro to the title track could have been left off and you would never have missed it. The title track has its moments but still becomes predictable and familiar. The opening blast beat frenzy followed by the triplet/ double kick syncopation, the bridge riff chorus combo, insert clean vocals here. It will bang your head but multiple listens it falls kind of flat. Redefine is the same until the chorus the arrangement with the clean vocals just doesn't groove right. Anarchaos. Can you say sounds too much like Soul Decoded? It's the typical 8 string track and the first 3notes are damn near exact. The next couple of tracks blur together. It just typical triplet induced Dino. A flash here and there but nothing to write about. Darkness embedded is a tune I truly enjoy. It provides the album ballad. Some have cried foul on Travis's cleans here but I honestly love them. It also gives the album a much needed buffer. I might have dropped this at track 5. The album closes with the End begins. It's not a bad track but you have already heard the riffs before in the album and the use of auto tune on Neil's vocals at the end of the track kind of kill it.
This is a Dino and Tim frenzy. The guitars and drums dominate the mix as to be expected. Dino and Tim are without question in fine form. The problem is the songs become mundane and predictable. The overdose of palm muted triplets locked with double kick become the same. It has its moments like the aforementioned prom date but also comes with the same let down. If you wanted this to be the next Demanufacture, its not. If you wanted this to blow the doors off Bleed it won't. What it does give you is some solid tunes insanely fast drum/ guitar interplay, a few cases to snap your neck and some note worthy riffs.The lyrics are well written and there are some very catchy moments.Overall if that's what you are after and go into it with that mindset it's worth it. If not well Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture still sound pretty damned good.
No comments:
Post a Comment