Sigh.

I’d like to know who the asshole is that’s going around lending some of my favorite bands a copy of “Surviving the Rock ‘N’ Roll Industry The Metallica Way: How to Transform Your Awesome Underground Band into a Boring, Half-Assed, Mainstream Version of Your Former Selves… and Get Away With It.”

Someone needs to find this fucker and give him an elbow to the face. Seriously, what the hell is going on out there? Sepultura, Earth Crisis, Killswitch Engage, Poison the Well, Obituary (yeah… I said it) have all seriously dropped the ball this year. Well go ahead and add Death By Stereo to the growing list of disappointments.

About a week ago, I stumbled upon the video for “Welcome to the Party“… the first single off the Death Is My Only Friend. Damn, was I impressed. Considering that their previous effort (Death For Life) was a garishly overproduced take on modern metalcore, I considered this new single to be a welcome return to form. The video is pretty awesome, the song kicks total ass, and shit… it even has a (ST-inspired) bass solo!

Translation: my expectations were high for the forthcoming album.

But are high expectations part of the problem? Sadly, I think not. To put things in perspective… 2 of the first 7 songs are ballads (one of which is a shitty reinterpretation of a shitty song off the last record). And both of them contain piano and orchestral arrangements. WHAT THE FUCK? Have I entered the Bizarro World here? DBS and orchestral arrangements? The last time I saw these guys live, Efrem Schulz was sporting an 8″ pink mohawk and screaming in people’s faces as he hurled his fat ass off the stage every 30 seconds. Now I have to sit and listen to him croon “I can’t face this world on my own… I keep on searching for your face. I promise that we’ll live forever… forever and a day” for a second straight album? Dude… where’s the spit? Where’s the fire? Even the band’s trademark “Woo-ooohh-ohhhs” seem lifeless this time around. Have DBS finally climbed aboard Desperation Train?

In all fairness, there are a few bright spots on the album… “We Sing Today For A Better Tomorrow” could easily be found on Into the Valley of Death, “The Ballad of Sid Dynamite” is a nice balance of old school DBS and modern hooks, and as previously mentioned, “Welcome to the Party” pretty much rules. But it’s simply not enough to overcome the rest of the lackluster (or downright shitty) songs here.

In conclusion… I’m considering Death is My Only Friend strike two. DBS had better stop pissing in my ear and telling me my brain is on fire.

*** Total side note: Is it me, or does the album cover (despite the fact the it does indeed have boobs on it) look awfully familiar? (Link NSFW) ***

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “The next album had better not be called “A Visit From the Dead” or you’ll be hearing from my lawyers!”

Mark’s Review:

“With each release, the goal of our label is to create an oasis of diversity and uniqueness within the industry where fans of all music can find sanctuary and solace from the drab, carbon-copy musical plagues that sweep through commercial culture.“

     - Serj Tankian, discussing his new label, Serjical Strike Records

I find this quote interesting because when prominent members of successful bands start their own labels, they’re never really their own. I’m sure when Universal heard that System of a Down was “taking a hiatus” after their massively successful Hypnotize / Mesmerize stretch, they realized that all those people that bought those records would be searching for a suitable alternative. What better alternative to System of a Down than the lead singer of System of a Down, who’s solo album sounds like System of a Down? And, oh yeah, we’ll give you your own label, so you can “promote it” and sign other bands you like… hopefully ones that also sound like System of a Down.

Which brings me to the new Death By Stereo, which is their first since being signed by Serjical Strike Records. I’ve been a casual fan of DBS since I saw them open for Mastodon and got into their anthem-style hardcore. One thing I liked about them, is that they’re a band that knows who they are, and what they want to present to the listener. Mash some hardcore riffs and punk drum beats with high-energy lyrics about teenage anger and rebellion against society, and everybody wins. So why does the band seem like its acting like a bad System of a Down cover band on Death is My Only Friend?

As Justin said, there’s quite a few ballads on the album, and that’s not the problem, it’s the sense that these songs don’t fit. Last Song and Forever and a Day are complete cheese-fests; so much so, that I had to hold back my snickering while listening. And while Opening Destruction, Welcome to the Party and The Ballad of Sid Dynamite remind me of the older stuff, overall, it seems like once again this is a sanitized version of DBS for the masses. I noticed the vocal lines and melodies for a majority of the songs sound eerily similar, which causes all the songs (and there are a lot of them) run together. Finally, the album ends with 2 of the laziest songs I’ve ever heard. It’s almost like DBS said, “Well, for maximum revenue with iTunes, Serj says we need to have 15 tracks“. Incredibly bad.

Overall, this is quite a disappointment. I’m sure the guys in DBS were flipping out at the chance to put out an album with the backing of Tankian’s label, but after toiling for years and building their underground fan base, it just sounds like they’re trying too hard to impress the cool kids. On Death is My Only Friend, DBS turns out to be what Tankian says he doesn’t want… a carbon-copy band looking to appeal to a commercial culture.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Hey Serj, King here… I need some cash and can sing falsetto… call me!”

Have A Listen:

Death By Stereo – Welcome to the Party:

Download audio file (Welcome_To_The_Party.mp3)

I suppose it was predictable that EC’s 2008 reunion tour would result in a reunion album followed by another reunion tour to help sell said album. Less predictable was whether Earth Crisis went back to the studio to do more experimenting with their style or record a nice slice of nostalgia for the ’90s hardcore “kids” that broke out the old windbreakers and basketball jerseys for last year’s tour.

If I had to compare To The Death to their older material (which of course I have to) I’d say Breed The Killers. Some EC fans regard Breed The Killers as the beginning of the end for this band, but I’m one that welcomed the progression from a sludgier, bombastic hardcore to a faster and thrashier style. (I did not welcome the aforementioned “experimenting” that came after Breed The Killers.) That leaves us wondering, if Earth Crisis isn’t giving fodder to the aging pit dancers, will they succeed in drawing new fans to The Discipline? I’m gonna say no on that one. If I had to compare To The Death to something less than ten years old for a younger metalhead… hmmm… think Lamb of God with a lot less technical shit going on and more gang vocals. I don’t think younger fans are going to hear something they’ve been missing, musically anyway.

But credit to Earth Crisis for finding that fine line between self-tribute and ill-conceived reinvention. Most of the songs are concise and energetic, Karl’s vocals are badass as ever, and the trademark guitar and bass tones are there. Opening track “Against the Current” rips a vintage gang vocal breakdown chorus; the opening riffs of “When Slaves Revolt” had me cranking the volume instantly, and how about closing the album with an allusion to the call-and-response outro of the song “Gomorrah’s Season Ends,” the lyric that launched a hundred thousand straight edgers? Maybe a little indulgent, but it slayed then and it slays now.

Secondly, as the band’s promo material openly states, Earth Crisis is as much about their message as their music (more so than their music, actually, which is Karl’s convoluted explanation of why their last album sucked so bad). True, the message also sells a lot of t-shirts, but Earth Crisis did nothing to distance themselves from the ‘direct action’ ethos of animal and earth liberation groups, preaching “Ultramilitance” before eco-terrorists were declared a top priority for the FBI. (Looking back, apparently both the FBI and Earth Crisis were a bit misguided in early 2001). I can’t think of anything in today’s kiddie metal culture that holds a candle to the social influence of bands like EC in their prime. Whether that was a positive or negative influence is a whole other can of worms (please don’t hurt the worms). For those who didn’t see it in person, To The Death offers a glimpse of the roots of that power.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “I was almost convinced to stop buying leather vests.”

Justin’s Review:

With their 2008 reunion tour, Earth Crisis rose like the Phoenix (and one could only hope… burning every last copy of Slither in their wake). If the show I saw proved anything, it was that: 1) EC was ready to prove to the metal/hardcore* scene it was 1996 all over again and they hadn’t missed a beat and 2) watching a room full of aging 30-somethings trying to do the windmill is quite amusing. And thank God for the former, because outside of Hatebreed, hardcore just hasn’t been getting through to the kids since Full Collapse hit it big and Tony Brummel started chasing the almighty emo dollar.

So… like a fine, non-alcoholic wine or an aged, soy cheese, EC are back with an older perspective, a new label, and ready to tout their distinct brand of metallic hardcore*, love for all things animal, and “kill your local drug dealer” ethos. And I, for one, am stoked. Karl Buechner’s a much better spokesman for the sXe movement when he’s behind the microphone rather than in front of the television camera. And let’s be honest… Freya wasn’t anything to write home about, so having EC back at the top of the heap is a welcome return. You can probably imagine my excitement when I read that the new material was supposed to be a “mixture between Destroy the Machines and Breed the Killers” (in my mind, the only thing better would be a press release saying “the new shit sounds exactly like Gomorrah’s Season Ends“). Needless to say, my expectations going into To the Death were pretty high. And ultimately, I suppose, that might’ve been the album’s undoing.

Left on its own, TtD is a completely solid effort… great production, classic hXc songwriting, and plenty of mosh (from 0:03 in). Unfortunately, those perks are also what I consider the album’s defining shortcomings.

When compared to previous EC efforts, TtD has far and above the best production. The guitars shred, the bass is completely audible, and the drums sound killer. They’ve even managed to nail what I can only assume is the “Golden Gang-Vocal Ratio”… the perfect quantity of lead to backup vocals. Yet, the end result of this precision knob-dialing is one that I find a little stale. You can close your eyes and for at least 1/3 of the album, and pretend you’re listening to Hatebreed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but one of the traits that defined the Earth Crisis of the 90s was that of dynamics… and so I find it even more disappointing that EC have harkened back to a more “straight-ahead” approach when it comes to songwriting as well. Though EC still find themselves well beyond 98% of their peers, it’s more “chugga-chugga” than suspended chords and pinch harmonics these days (though for the record, I think “To Ashes” is about as quintessential an EC song as you can get).

Maybe it’s just me. I’ve been told on a few occasions that I’m stuck in the 90s, so it’s quite possible that I’m full of shit and this album rules. Either way, I’d recommend “picking up some change” and heading out to purchase at least a couple Earth Crisis albums circa ‘92-’98 (or 2009 if that’s how you roll).

* Note that “metalcore” was not used once in this review.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I still respect the “X”… I’d just like to hear a little more “Y” and “Z” next time around.”

Have A Listen:

Earth Crisis – To Ashes:

Download audio file (To_Ashes.mp3)