Rareform

Normally I don't listen to bands such as After the Burial because I find music such as this too modern, new and repetitive and perhaps a bit emo. Nevertheless, I decided to listen to this anyway and this is what I think. This album has two versions: the original and the re-issue, I'm going to review both because I feel like the re-issue should be included as well.

First, the original album:

There are a lot of ups and downs with this one and considering people like to hear good news first then that means I'm going to start off with the good bits. For one, the guitars are wonderful in every way. They're just a joy to listen to for the most part, there are times where they're so melodic that you begin to ask yourself: "why on earth are they (the guitarists) in a underground band such as this one when they could be making it big elsewhere?" A perfect example of the fret-work would be the (best) song "Berzerker" in which the guitar solos and melodies are so well done that it can literally bring you to tears, it's just amazing and it's the main reason why this album does so well for me. Keep in mind, though, that this album wasn't stellar either. There were many issues that I just couldn't get my head around: the drums were practically inaudible and the vocals sounded like pure garbage...no brutality or effort displayed there. The original album was okay to say the least, but I gotta say it wasn't the best because of the reasons mentioned above and that it was repetitive.

The re-issue:

Maybe the band saw the same issues I mentioned and decided to make a "do-over." This made the original look like a prototype and this one sounded like the real deal, final product. Guitars stayed the same as they did and that was a wise decision because they were good already and it wasn't necessary to push the envelope further. The vocals have been refined, louder, deeper and the vocalist spits those words out as if they were nothing and the drums got louder, more intense and faster. There's nothing more to say here other than the same old repetitiveness and whatnot.

I'm at a fork in the road right now simply because both had their issues and glory. Sure, the album (both original and re-issue) didn't sound the best and there were sound, vocal and presentation issues but on the other hand you have to give these guys credit because they did surprisingly well for a prog-metalcore/deathcore band. Even this album may suck a fat one, there are some things that are worthwhile.