Unearth - The March Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 10.15.2008

Metalcore band Unearth has just released their fourth album, The March. Will fans find it a worthy successor to III: In The Eyes Of Fire?

The Band

Trevor Phipps- Vocals
Buz McGrath- Guitar
Ken Susi- Guitar
John Maggard- Bass
Derek Kerswill- Drums


The Track Listing

1. My Will Be Done-3:37
2. Hail The Shrine-3:57
3. Crow Killer-3:17
4. Grave Of Opportunity-3:53
5. We Are Not Anonymous-3:03
6. The March-3:29
7. Cutman-3:13
8. The Chosen-3:54
9. Letting Go-4:44
10. Truth Or Consequence-11:12





The Review

Massachusetts metalcore band Unearth has consistently scratched the surface of mainstream recognition for years. While placing on the Billboard charts, they haven’t gained the success of their fellow statesmen Killswitch Engage and Atreyu. Unearth’s last album, 2006’s III: In The Eyes Of Fire, was their first album produced by Terry Date and sold over 80,000 copies in the US. With high expectations, the band went back into the studio to work on their fourth album, bringing back long-time producer, Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, into the fold.

The March is one of the band’s most aggressive albums, leaving no room for piano-driven instrumentals or soothing melodies. The big addition to the band’s sound is the guitar work of Susi and McGrath, marking a more technical and solo-friendly direction for the band. Both guitarists have broken their chains that have held their axe work down and taken reign of the sound, showing that two years can really make a difference. Looks like “Zombie Autopilot” and “So It Goes” weren’t flukes after all.

“My Will Be Done” opens the album with a prime example of the slight evolution in the sound of Unearth. Trevor Phipps’ vocals are the same as before, so if you liked them before, you won’t mind them on The March. If you couldn’t stand them before, this album won’t change your mind in the slightest. The trade-off solo halfway through “My Will Be Done” is an instant highlight that shows the tight chemistry the guitarists have seemingly formed.

The rest of the album follows suit, crafting a slab of metal that pushes the band closer and closer away from the dreaded “metalcore” shadow. There are elements of thrash metal present, as there was in the previous album. “Hail The Shrine” has a fast melody in the verse, but slows down in the chorus and leads to a head-banging breakdown that closes the track on a high note. “Cutman” earns bonus points for the extended finger-tapping solo that would even impress Eddie Van Halen. The bonus track, which follows after the disappointingly bland closer “Truth Or Consequence,” starts off with an epic drum intro before the band builds to a breakdown that is Slayer-worship at its finest, complete with solos that abuse the whammy bar.

There are lighter moments sprinkled on The March, including brief acoustic guitars in the bridge of “Grave Of Opportunity” and the lumbering “Letting Go,” which is one of the slowest songs in melody the band has ever performed. The majority of the album is a freight train of metal, but it shows maturity for the band to take a step back from time to time to show the listener their songwriting capabilities.

The March doesn’t re-invent the wheel or drastically change the landscape of metalcore music, but Unearth continues to churn out solid metal songs, with an added emphasis on the guitar work. McGrath and Susi are the MVP’s of The March, proving to the metal world they have the chops to hang with the big boys. There aren’t any really bad tracks, save for the anti-climatic closer. The March is another good metal album in a year full of them, but it doesn’t stand out enough to shine above all the others.

The 411: The March is another good Unearth album and a solid follow-up to III: In The Eyes Of Fire. The solos are more prevalent, the band's sound is more aggressive, and the album flows much better than any of their previous albums. While nothing stands out as being revolutionary or groundbreaking, the forty minutes of The March will provide metal fans with a satisfactory listen.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]