Unearth – The Wretched; The Ruinous – Album Review

2023-05-02 06:00:20

Unearth – The Wretched; The Ruinous
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Release: 05.05.2023
Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Metalcore

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Photo Credit: Mezgarth

Unearth are among the founding fathers of metalcore and have been successful in the music business for 25 years. This is probably also due to the fact that the band has always combined their pithy US sound with melodeath of the European school. Also on the eighth album The Wretched; The Ruinous it’s no different, the band doesn’t name such uncompromising bands like for nothing Slayer or Exodus as their career role models.

Still recognize Unearth even small changes in their sound. “Our guitars buz has been writing the songs throughout the pandemic”says Singer Trevor Phipps. “He’s been pushing himself to get out of his comfort zone and explore what Unearth is. Buz added new elements and killer song structures and inspired me to get more vocally diverse.” Or to put it another way: The new album is better, faster, more complex and so on. A statement that pretty much every band makes when releasing a new record. But is it true?

Almost everything the same

First of all for all fans of the Americans: Whoever was able to gain something from the previous works will also join us The Wretched; The Ruinous have fun. Because the band has only dared small experiments and sounds 100% like itself once more. The eleven songs groove and bang decently, although Unearth but always incorporate melodic passages and occasionally slow down the tempo if it is useful for the song. The title track is a good example of how you HERE can hear for yourself.

Whether the approach of remaining true to oneself and only changing the recipe for success in nuances is well received is ultimately a matter of taste and attitude. Critics will complain that the band always sounds the same, fans in turn will celebrate and be happy that they get what they expected. But this discussion is at least as old as AC/DC.

Crunchy cross section

Also Unearth have inherited the bane of every successful band. Namely that every new release is compared to the old records, which were “much better” anyway and are simply idealized as a matter of principle. With the metalcore heroes, it’s mostly the albums The Oncoming Storm from 2004 and III: In the Eyes of Fire von 2006.

But following The Wretched; The Ruinous is a very compact cross-section of all creative phases of the combo, nostalgics are also catered for. For example with the song Into the Abysswhich sounds a lot like the early days of the genre and HERE can be heard. And if the band was too melodic for you, you should go for the thrashy one Dawn of the Militant listen

Between earthiness and clean room

The biggest issue on the album is probably the production. Apparently wanted Unearth avoid sounding too sterile and highly polished. That sounds great now Trivium trivial, but can happen with modern metal and severely detracts from the listening experience.

So the approach of wanting to sound earthier and more organic is something very positive in itself. However, this isn’t always entirely successful in the mix, which sometimes makes the songs sound strangely hybrid. Partly booming and everything rolls over like a good live recording, but the next moment it’s as if the recording had been made in a clean room.

You have to get used to that as a listener, which is a shame because the songs lose a bit of their drive as a result. After 2-3 runs, the songs still unfold their potential – but that would have been possible the first time.

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Conclusion
Unearth stay up too The Wretched; The Ruinous remain true to themselves and deliver high-class songs in the intersection between Metalcore and melodic Death Metal. The production takes some getting used to, but nevertheless fans of the band and their genre can grab it without hesitation. 7,5 / 10

Line Up
Trevor Phipps – vocals
Buz McGrath – guitar
Chris O’Toole – Bass
Nick Pierce – drums

Tracklist
01. The Wretched; The Ruinous
02. Cremation of the Living
03. Eradicator
04. Mother Betrayal
05. Invictus
06. Call of Existence
07. Dawn of the Militant
08. Aniara
09. Into the Abyss
10. Broken Arrow
11. Theaters of War

Links
Facebook Unearth
Instagram Unearth

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