Watchers of Rule

Author: Primož Novak

Artist: Unearth
Label: eOne Music Records
Release: year_month
Length: 35:00
Rating: 4/5

The metalcore bands that blew up as a trend about a decade ago are running out of steam. Quite a few breakups have happened in recent years. Chimaira, God Forbid and Bleeding Through have called it quits, and a few more could easily join the list. Unearth hit a crisis too, one that showed in an unstable lineup. On the current album drummer Nick Pierce has finally settled in with the band, but trouble came up with the bassist, so the band is currently playing live with hired bassists only. Despite the problems, three years after Darkness in the Light Unearth have recorded Watchers of Rule, and it’s a real surprise.

After the intro the band explodes with The Swarm, which is packed with aggressive riffs, melodic touches, fast drums, and the odd breakdown too. It becomes clear pretty quickly that the new drummer is a great addition. Nick Pierce is fast and tight. His inventive footwork on the pedals lets the band pull off brutal breakdowns that can go toe to toe with deathcore bands. The guitar duo of Buzz McGrath/Ken Susi still has a feel for both brutality and melody. On the melodic side, it’s worth mentioning that the band took old-school Swedish melodic death metal as a role model, which has always been typical of metalcore bands. Also worth singling out is the right-hand technique, which is far more polished than that of many of today’s metalcore bands, who prefer to reach for the simple moves typical of more melodic hardcore and punk rock. Unearth stay in more metal waters, with an emphasis on groove too. Above all, there’s once again plenty of virtuoso soloing, which is by now standard practice for Unearth. This time, though, Ken Susi’s clean vocals are absent; all you hear is Trevor Phipps’ angry growl, which gives Unearth more authenticity and somehow hints at a return to their roots, even though everything is more modern thanks to the melodies and the soloing. Or maybe the band just had a slight change of heart: it’s not all about the choruses, the whole song matters. There’s undoubtedly less polish on Watchers of Rule than on its predecessor, which was clearly aimed at a wider crowd. Unearth have obviously figured out in the end that they have a decent fan base, one that just won’t grow the way it did for the likes of Killswitch Engage or All That Remains.

The production, handled this time by Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Cannibal Corpse), also shows that Unearth remain suitably modern. Above all, the sound is powerful and clear, though you do get a feeling that the guitars were pushed more than the other instruments.

With their sixth studio album, Unearth mostly show consistency. Over the course of their career they’ve made enough progress that, for now, there’s no need for anything more. At moments a more technically demanding section pops up, hinting that Unearth have a slight soft spot for genres that stress syncopated guitars. But whenever a more demanding breakdown does arrive, Unearth bring the melody so the songs don’t sound too alike. Despite the crisis, Unearth stay true to their style and remain good representatives of a genre that kicked off at the turn of the millennium.

Lineup

Trevor Phipps – vocals

Ken Susi – guitar

Buz McGrath – guitar

Nick Pierce – drums

Production

Mark Lewis

Tracklist