So I'm going to start off by saying that I am quite pleased with this album.
It starts off pretty heavy almost immediately, in a way that one can really get into. The attitude keeps up for basically the entire album, so it's quite energetic.
One thing that particularly struck me about the album on my first listen was the drums. As you know if you're a fan of the band, The Rev died back in December, and he was a pretty damn good drummer. But the drums here...holy shit, they're incredible. A short Google search will tell you that Mike Portnoy is the current drummer, though, and that...well that pretty much explains it all. I'm sure that this was announced on their website at some point between The Rev's passing and the release of the album, but you know, that would involve paying attention. It's more fun my way.
Everything else is fairly standard, as far as the band goes. I don't listen to them enough to be able to express an opinion as to whether or not I feel this is their best album to date, but it's damn good. The songs flow into one another in a very comfortable fashion while also avoiding sounding redundant.
As always, the guitars sound badass and M. Shadows handles the vocals quite well.
The band ends the album with a ten minute track called "Save Me" which is quite good. It starts off pretty strong, comes down for just a moment, and then builds up a great amount of energy. It is definitely a great end to a great album.
Favorite tracks would be:
Buried Alive - I love the intro to this song. It's absolutely fantastic. Song is also somewhat slow, but it's not a shitty power ballad. I'm glad that shit died with hair metal. Song does pick up a little near the bridge/ solo in a very nice way. Definitely one of the better tracks on the album.
God Hates Us - Come on. With a title like this, how can this song not be awesome? GREAT intro, guitars remind me a bit of John 5. Shadows uses an atypical scream for this song, who it reminds me of currently escapes me. If I think of who, I'll edit. But damn this song is cool.
Other good songs:
Victim - Another strong song. The verse I'm honestly not that crazy about, but the chorus just brings you right back into the energy. Solo is also pretty good.
Overall, the album's really enjoyable. I can't quite think of anything bad to say about it, so if you're a fan of the band or of metal, I'd say give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.
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