Vera Cruz: Skinandteethandnails

After listening to this album, I feel exhausted, like I just got back from a show. These guys bring so much energy to this music that it's hard not to imagine them tearing up the stage while an audience moshes nearby. There's something tough about this music, an impressive feat for a debut album coming out in a field already overcrowded with competition.

The best tracks on this album are those that display the band's blend of melodic Hardcore and Metalcore. "The Last of a Dying Breed," for example, stands out for its energy and its refusal to lose itself in the Metalcore sound. At times, these guys remind me of Rage Against the Machine but without the rap-centered vocals. Imagine Rage Against the Machine with a little more anger. At times, as on "The Family," the choruses veer into much more melodic territory. It doesn't work quite as well with the sound the band establishes in the verses, but it isn't a deal breaker, either. This is a solid release, one that warrants careful attention. I did think that the music was a little too melodic at times. This band plays Metalcore as well as anyone--give us more of that and forget the side roads into melody.

For my money, the best tracks are "Dunwich" and "American Psycho," two songs stemming from American horror literature. The first takes place in the world of H. P. Lovecraft and imagines a Dunwich Horror after the first wave of cosmic horror. It's also the only song that boasts a choral opening that provides a haunting effect that lasts for the whole track. "American Psycho" comes from the novel and movie of the same name, the film being an iconic role for the adult Christian Bale. This track, easily a highlight of the album, is pure raging fury. From the opening crunch to the closing cry of "whisper whisper the spirits control me," the song is an unforgettable attempt to capture the madness of insanity. Check it out.

Track Listing:
1. Hopeless Knights
2. The Last of a Dying Breed
3. The Family
4. Black Walls
5. Open your Eyes
6. The Last Parade
7. Break the Lies
8. Dunwich
9. Walk Alone
10. Last Call
11. American Psycho

Added: March 15th 2013
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1705
Language: english

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