Artist: Thine Eyes Bleed
Label: The End Records
Release Date: 6/21/05
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Title: In the Wake of Separation Artist: Thine Eyes Bleed Label: The End Records Release Date: 6/21/05 |
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Abyss's Review:
This album could be a two or three skull album, depending on my mood at the time. If I'm in a good mood I could say that these guys do a good job of the metalcore thing that's been dominating the metal world, utilizing a mixture of angst and hook that is easily digested. After all it's not their fault that there's so much of this stuff out there right now. And that's when my mood changes. It is their fault that there's so much of this crap out there...their fault and all of the other cookie-cutter bands like them.
"One word review: Déjá vu." It's not that I don't like this sound. I was way into recent albums from Darkest Hour (haven't heard the new one yet though), Heaven Shall Burn, and Watch Them Die. Perhaps I'd like this album if it had come out five years ago, but the fact is it didn't. Thine Eyes Bleed don't suffer from lack of ability, drive, or even songwriting...they lack any sort of character. Whenever I turn on Fuse I see some generic emo band that has a name I've never heard and a look that is exactly like every other band on the channel. Thine Eyes Bleed strike me as the same thing for metalcore (although I don't know what they look like offhand, but I bet the picture in my head is pretty accurate).
Are there really bands out there that still think using the At The Gates style vocals in metalcore is a good idea? I mean, in the history of metal, has there been any other cliché that's been more overused? Gothenburg wasn't even this overdone.
The good news is this band isn't completely without some saving graces. The song "Corpse You Up" shows that this band could evolve into something more, even as I snicker at the title. It is a slick, fun grind tune that stands out on an album of tracks that retreat into an amorphous din. One word review: Déjá vu.
Death's Review:
I thought this would be metalcore, but then again, I should have had more faith in the End Records than that. Thine Eyes Bleed are good late-90's Scandinavian thrash, a healthy mix of Slayer, Kreator, Carcass and At the Gates. It was only after I had listened to the album a bit that I realized that Tom Araya's brother, Johnny Araya, is in this band. Not sure if the Slayer influence is therefore genetic, but it is definitely discernable. But the band definitely stands on its own two feet as well, and while I've heard this type of thing done well before these guys are competent and make for a fun, aggressive listen. The bottom line is that I generally like this type of riff-centric modern thrash with post-Carcass, post-Kreator type vocals, and this is a well-produced, well-executed example of what this kind of music is all about. Yes, you've heard this elsewhere. No, this is not "essential." But it is worth your time if you are into hearing cool new technical thrash and it is the type of thing that bridges the gap between the old school and the new school sounds quite nicely; e.g., metalcore kids may dig this but this is definitely not metalcore; 80's thrash fans may also dig this but this is definitely more modern sounding than a lot of 80's thrash - it sounds more like the newest Kreator album than the Kreator of the few albums before that.
"It is worth your time if you are into hearing cool new technical thrash and it is the type of thing that bridges the gap between the old school and the new school sounds quite nicely." All in all, it seems that this is a band that some might dismiss because it has former Kittie touring guitarist Jeff Phillips in it, or others might dismiss because they see it as a gimmick because it has an Araya brother in it. Thus, the things that get the band noticed on paper are the things that might ultimately keep more discerning fans away. But that would be unfortunate, because the music is what should get this band noticed, and I think that if it does, it will keep the attention of the average metalhead more than people probably expect going into it. At least that was my reaction.
Hel's Review:
I tell you, if I were into metalcore, I'd be into this band. There are actually a few times this album manages to suck me in and that is huge. Let me explain why: I've been listening to a lot of Sirius Satellite Radio's "Hard Attack" lately - their supposed "metal" station. I recently came to the conclusion they should change the name to "Hardcore Attack" since this seems to be their primary format. "Beyond the Pit," a one hour block which airs at midnight Eastern seems to be the only time they devote to the kind of metal I like. Otherwise, whenever I tune in, too often it feels pretty much like I'm hearing Trivium and Slipknot playing on an endless loop. Sadly, Sirius has single handedly driven me from disliking the metalcore trend to actively hating it. Sure, I had already been forced to the brink by assorted music video shows, but "Hardcore Attack" has shoved me right over the edge. So for me to be drawn in by a single note of In the Wake of Separation should speak volumes about the quality of the album. It's got to be great for a hater like me to say it's anything but horrible.
"Even if you despise all that is metalcore, you may discover your head bobbing along." Still, in my book it is undeniably metalcore, and songs like "Live to Die" emphasize that point to a painful degree. So you must take this into account when your make your decision about this record. If you are pro-metalcore, you must run out and buy this record this very instant. You will undoubtedly adore it. If you are on the fence, you will also find most of this album palatable. And even if you despise all that is metalcore, you may discover your head bobbing along. "Corpse You Up" is nearly redemptive, and if more of the album had been along these lines, I might be singing a different tune right now. And that brings me to the eternal conflict I have with this sub-genre - the vocals. I hate hardcore vocals, and I hate even more when they toss in that whiny emo crap trying to be like At the Gates. Thine Eyes Bleed is much less guilty of this sin than most of the other metalcore bands out there right now, but still they should throw no stones at glass houses...
This is a good band to claim knowledge of, since an Araya brother is involved, and that is a pedigree that raises most folks eyebrows, but of course Slayer it is not. Despite their insistence (I think I heard them insist this somewhere anyway - or maybe it's a rumor I got from a "Hard Attack" jockey...) that they are not looking for that connection to help them, this information does appear on the press sheet, so someone somewhere is clearly trying to leverage that information and you, the listener and my dear reader, ought to be armed with this factoid. Regardless of family ties or personal feelings on metalcore, Thine Eyes Bleed is one of the best of this style. For whatever that's worth. Check it out or not, either way, I know we'll be hearing tracks on "Hard Attack."
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