spinelanguage

The Concealers (via MetalSucks)

IN ONE SENTENCE

Not as revolutionary as everyone thinks it is, but a definite step forward in the right direction for this band.

TRACK-BY-TRACK

1. “Sharpen the Blades” – An immediately intriguing riff kicks things off in this tornadic album opener.  A typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern follows, but it’s actually refreshing considering the alarming amount of bands these days who refuse to write songs with any sense of structure.  This track is catchy, short, and gets things started in the right direction.
2. “Self Corruption Manifesto” – Much more generic riffing in this one, kind of plodding and boring.  The chorus is okay but not as good as “Sharpen the Blades.”  As for the solo, it’s pretty disappointing.  I definitely would not have minded skipping over this one.
3. “The Worthless” – Much better.  Should have been right after Track 1.  Kind of feels like a hardcore song until the bridge when the lead kicks in, and it is definitely more fulfilling than the last one.  Good chorus here as well, but the best stuff is from 2:37 until the end.
4. “The Unbinding Truth” – Lots of harmonized guitars in this one along with strange single note minor riffs.  You can hear the guitars being highlighted much more, and there is a definite Bach flare to the whole thing.  Enjoyable for the most part and a welcome break from the speed and aggression of the first three tracks.
5. “Silenced” – The rickety clean outro from Track 4 explodes into immediate blast beats and good chunky riffs throughout.  I have to say, this is definitely the next best song since “Sharpen the Blades”.  The band shows that even after 3 not-so-great ones it still has the songwriting chops to make your head bob.
6. “Wilting on the Vine” – Another inventive, melodic tune full of evil and a scream-along chorus.  I’m starting to think the band left all the good songs for the middle of the album; I would have been perfectly happy with this song as Track 3 or 4, and there’s certainly no reason why I should have to sit through the other ones to get to it.  Once again, great lead break at the end.
7. “Translucent Potency” – This one’s slow to build but ultimately pretty cool.  You think it’s a good instrumental until around 2:14, and it only gets better.  Some black metal copycat riffing opens the floodgates to great melodies and more sinister vocals, and once again: why does this song have to be so late in the album?!
8. “Day of Endless Light” – It’s okay, but ultimately nothing you haven’t heard before.  Fast, but not necessarily technical or original.  There’s a kind of jazzy break around 2:43 that I like, mainly because it gets rid of the monotonous riffs for a little bit.  Could have skipped it.
9. “Duststorm” – It starts off sounding like some fucked up cover of that gay techno song “Sandstorm” by Darude, but eventually just moves on to become the pointless instrumental vignette that it is.  Again, could have skipped it.
10. “…Of Poisoned Sorrows” – What’s with the ellipsis, are they trying to be Megadeth?  Well you know it’s funny this song almost starts off sounding like “Hangar 18,” but fortunately, a more original chord progression fixes things.  The remants of the band’s industrial influence make their way into this song, probably in an attempt to spice up the otherwise bland nature of the whole tune.  What’s the point of the bitcrusher effect other than to make you feel like you’re listening to someone play 8-bit Nintendo games in your headphones? It just doesn’t work here.
11. “Incestuous Amplification” – Oh, scandalous title!  A solid song to end on I guess, but pretty underwhelming.  They re-use the main lead melody from “Wilting on the Vine” too, and I’m not entirely sure why.  Maybe this is a concept album that needs closure or something but I wouldn’t know.  Seems kind of silly to me.

OVERALL: B-

I had a fairly good time listening to this one.  I have my gripes about it, but for the most part this release was the next logical step for DÅÅTH.  One of the best parts about The Concealers is that there are NO breakdowns, and that is a very welcome change to modern metal.  Most of the riffs are good, as are most of the solos, but you can definitely get tired of listening to the whole thing.  I would encourage listening to a few songs before you decide to buy it.