California's Embrace the End have a lot going for them on their sophomore release Ley Lines (and first for Century Media)-after all, these 10 songs are filled to the brim with death-core menace, blistering guitar crunch, manic drum work, and a dual vocal attack that hits upon both hardcore and death metal. Tunes like "Cop In A Cage", "Trainwreck On The John Galt Line", and the title track display plenty of talent from this band, especially the guitar team of Bart Mullis & Chris McMahon, who spew out no shortage of crushing riffs and squealing pinch harmonics. However, all does not turn out so well, as a few of the tunes here try too hard to be overly melodic and come across somehwhat generic sounding, which is not good considering how much competition there is in this genre. In addition, some of the vocal styles used on the album are a tad grating in spots, and despite there being two singers, I'm surprised there's not more variation and dynamics to their delivery. Still, based on guitar thunder alone and some absolutely brutal moments, this is worth checking out.
Track Listing
1. Cop In A Cage
2. Denim On Denim Hate Crime
3. Intensity In Ten Cities
4. Trainwreck On The John Galt Line
5. Ride It Like You Stole It
6. Pity And The Road To Bimini
7. Overnighter
8. Sport The New Plague
9. Ley Lines
10. The God Stitch
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
