About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

A solid metalcore CD, but a step backwards from 2006's III: Through The Eyes Of Fire.



Pros

• Excellent guitar work.

Cons

• Too much repetition.
• Vocals could use more variety.

Description

• Released October 14, 2008 on Metal Blade Records.
• Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, As I Lay Dying).
• This is Unearth's fourth studio CD.

Guide Review - Unearth - 'The March'

For their fourth CD, metalcore stalwarts Unearth brought back producer Adam D (Killswitch Engage), who had worked with them on their early releases.

The March is packed with really good guitar riffs and solos from Ken Susi and Buz McGrath. The tempos on this one are a little slower than previous albums, but there's no loss in heaviness at all. Unearth blends metalcore with modern metal, mixing accessible melodies with extremity and of course an ample supply of breakdowns.

There are several good songs on The March, but those songs have a lot in common. There's a fair amount of similarity in tempos and song structures, and things tend to blend together.

Trevor Phipps is Unearth's vocalist, and his shouting style is angry and potent. He does a solid job, but more variety in intensity and dynamics would make it even better. Unearth is still one of the best metalcore bands, The March will still have a lot of appeal to fans of the genre, but they could have done even better.