Like Sheep Led to Slaughter

...take it easy there, gang. This CD really is not too bad at all. Sure, Crisis have strayed a bit from the death/thrash style that they started out with, but other than that this band can still lay it down. Check out "Secrets of the Prison House" to hear what I mean - an epic, brutal, and intelligent track that shows all the facets of the band and Karyn's voice.

And by the way, if that is everyone's big problem with this album, then I guess you don't like Crisis. Karyn's voice is what it is - CRAZY, unpredictable, off the wall, going everywhere from LOW as hell to BEAUTIFUL. So if you can't stand that type of vocals, then you won't like this disc, don't get all mad and call this band worthless. If you've ever seen them live, you won't be of this opinion.

Obviously, I like Crisis. But I will admit that this is their weakest disc so far, it is somewhat uneven and the music does seem to have gone in a bit of a metalcore direction. Still, if metalcore is done well, and has SOME element to differentiate itself from a billion other clones, then what's the problem? In this case, some interesting riffs, the aforementioned vocals, and an experimental vibe set Crisis apart, and there are plenty of songs here to enjoy. "A Graveyard for Bitches" is rad, "Corpus Apocalypse" has a very cool part with Karyn sounding like a machine ("this is the pulse of a body rejecting itself"), "Nomad" and "Blood Burden" are good songs too. Plus, the combination of "Rats in A Maze" and 'Secrets of the Prison House," two tracks that are MADE TO COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER (caps due to negative earlier reviews) present a memorable highlight to the disc.

In conclusion, not as bad as everyone says, though certainly not Crisis' best. I mean, what the hell is up with the crappy song with guest vox from Dan Dismal? Bad. But there are certainly some very worthwhile tracks - this is certainly not an abomination or a waste of money or any other over-dramatic disease upon the face of metal that you might gather from what you may read from some Manowar fans. Check it out, but only if you are into something a little off the beaten path.