The Summary Judgment Review:
Title: Lenore
Artist: Nehemiah
Label: Uprising Records
Release Date: 5/17/05

Rating: 2 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Goatwhore (8/7/05):
    It's safe to say that the bulk of what we hear in the hardcore world these days is one of three things.

    1. Dillinger or Converge wannabes whose guitarists dance around the fret board for the sake of doing so...sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
    2. Bands that "emulate" the NWOSDM (New Wave of Swedish Death Metal) forerunners like At the Gates and In Flames. And, of course, they don't forget to tag on the token hardcore breakdowns.
    3. And finally, there are the old school purists.

    Initially there was something unique about the melodic Swedish death metal incorporation; however, it's well past its prime, and the uniqueness has long worn off since there are bands a dime a dozen in the northeast following that formula.

    Nehemiah is a difficult band to criticize. It's not that the musicianship is breathtaking by any means - in fact, it's quite basic in many areas aside from the tasteful metal-inclined lead work - but they are merely doing just enough to get by. There is nothing ambitious about this release.

    And oddly enough, though their music is constantly ebbing and flowing, their structures are incredibly similar and interchangeable.

    And though there appears to be an abundance of passion, if there are no new ideas to be found, the only point of reference becomes a hysterical baby crying for its mother. What is it crying for? What's all that noise about?

    But unlike the natural urge to run tend to and understand the baby, Nehemiah, why should I bother continuing to listen to you?
    2 out of 5

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