dEMOTIONAL – Tarassis


10603353_850008718372950_6096196853020776979_n

 

Obviously when reviewing an album, the music absolutely comes first. You should be able to just throw on a CD regardless of album titles and band names and give it a good spin. But when a band name is so bad, immediately laying down a level of cynicism, disappointment and all manner of sighing, it just doesn’t help the cause.

OK, now we’ve got that out of the way let’s get into the real meat of the album Tarassis (Dead End Exit) – is this an album full of stonking tracks or does the quality of music equate to the band name? Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is the latter.

It actually opens with a whole load of promise, as ‘Hero In Me’ makes a real statement with pummeling riffs and a strong interchange between the softer and harsher vocals delivering a real Metalcore style a la Bury Tomorrow. But it spirals, and really badly spirals, downhill from there. Every track just sounds like poorly delivered electronics-infused hardcore music, and a confused amalgamation of influences going on, which really hinders the music.

Almost every song on the album follows exactly the same structure; a mysterious opening building into a crescendo of heavy beatdown riffs. Considering just how many bands there are around at the moment delivering music springing from influences in Hardcore and Metalcore, there just needs to be an ounce of originality and something unique to try and allow you to stick out from the mix – frankly dEMOTIONAL just have not delivered this in any way.

4.0/10

dEMOTIONAL on Facebook

TOM DONNO


Scars of Tomorrow – Failed Transmissions


scarsrecord1-624x624

 

When metalcore came along at the turn of the century to wash away the juvenile dross of nu-metal there was much rejoicing. After all, what could go wrong with bands delivering their own interpretation of Slaughter of the Soul’s legacy? Quite a lot in fact as the scene quickly reached saturation point with a seemingly endless parade of silly-haired whippersnappers recycling the same old riffs and same tired themes.

 

Orange County quintet Scars of Tomorrow never ascended above the D-grade despite releasing five albums in as many years on Victory Records between 2002 and 2006. After originally disbanding in 2007, they have reformed and recorded a new album, Failed Transmissions (Artery). The question is, if they weren’t good enough when the scene was in full swing what relevance do they have now?

 

The answer is none.

Absence has not made the heart grow fonder and Scars of Tomorrow have not learnt any lessons in their time off. They are still ploughing the exact same furrow they had exhausted of all resources back in 2006, offering up a thoroughly generic and uninspiring selection of Norma Jean-aping riffs combined with the odd It Dies Today-esque melodic flourish and of course, breakdown after goddamn breakdown in case you had forgotten that metalcore bands of this ilk wish they were tough enough to be part of the hardcore scene.

Featuring no memorable, heartstring-tugging choruses, riffs of any power, presence or anything approaching their own identity, the existence of this record is a mystery, for it serves no purpose. Metalcore is dead and buried, the kids have moved on to new and fresher things, and the members of Scars of Tomorrow should be devoting their time into producing music with half an ounce of relevance to today and not just assuming that a half-hour rehash of their old sound will be enough after so long away.

 

Utterly pointless and shockingly complacent.

 

3.0/10.0

Scars of Tommorow on Facebook

 

JAMES CONWAY