Unearth - Unstoppable

     It's time for another Metalcore Monday, and to go along with it, I've got a riddle of sorts for you: can you guess which Unearth album might be my favourite?

     If you've been paying attention, this should be no problem, since most of the Unearth songs I've featured over the years have been drawn from it. Unearth's third album, 2006's III: In the Eyes of Fire, is just the right confluence of riffs, solo and breakdowns for me. They've done some cool tunes since, but everything was just so carefully considered on III, the fat so nicely trimmed. Sure, it's "just" metalcore, but In the Eyes of Fire is an example of just how good at metalcore Unearth can be. Check out "Unstoppable" for yet another taste of why I still through this record on every once in a while. Riffing never gets old.

Friday: Unearth - Sanctity of Brothers

     It may take me all fucking week, but by the gods I'm going to get this Song of the Day train back on track. Don't believe me? Read on!

     If you know my musical tastes at all (which you should, if you've been keeping up with your homework) you know I likes me some metalcore. Look with scorn upon that if you will, but the genre represents a significant chapter of my musical history, so it's pretty much always going to have a spot on my playlist.

     There are still some bands out there making good, 'modern' metalcore (ERRA comes immediately to mind, or even Misery Signals) but usually when I want this kind of jam, I've got to go back a bit. For this very belated Friday song we're headed back eight years or so, to the third album from metalcore veterans Unearth.

     If you like metalcore and/or Unearth, III: In the Eyes of Fire has a bunch of solid tracks on it, but for my money one of the standouts is mid-album rager "Sanctity of Brothers". Like any good Unearth song, it's built on a couple of sweet riffs, in particular the main intro riff with its lengthy phrasing. It's not going to bend your brain, but it will bang your head, which is what any good Friday song should do.

Sunday: Unearth - Guards of Contagion

     Had a chance to listen to Unearth's brand spankin' new record Watchers of Rule yet? If not, you should probably make yourself a chance somehow.

     Unless of course you're one of those "metalcore sux" troo metalheads, although even then you shouldn't find much to complain about on the new disc. Sure, Unearth is one of those bands that's found its groove and and essentially keeps cranking out similar iterations of that groove, like a metal AC/DC, but man this particular time out is probably their best in a couple.

     My favourite is still 2004's The Oncoming Storm, or maaayybe the 2006 follow-up III: In the Eyes of Fire, but Watchers of Rule is a bit of a return to form, so to speak. Watch Buzz tear through "Guards of Contagion" and see (and hear!) what I mean.

Unearth - The Swarm

     I used to really dig Unearth, but it's been a while since anything they've put out has gotten me really excited. All the stuff on their last couple of albums sounded kinda samey to me, as if Unearth were one of those bands that had found their sound and were now comfortable to just keep on keeping on.

     Don't get me wrong, Unearth's same ol' same ol' can be pretty tasty at times; Mr. Susi and Mr. McGrath can write cool riffs 'till the cows come home. It's just that at a time when I was getting into heavier and heavier shit, Unearth were still working from more or less the same playbook. Essentially, I got bored, and moved on.

     But Unearth has once again got my attention. The band debuted "The Swarm" on tour over the summer, but now we've finally got the studio version to sink our teeth into. Even better, it slays. The first song to be released from their forthcoming Watchers of Rule kicks off with trem picking and blast beating like an honest-to-Satan death metal song, and while it does wander back into more Unearth-y sounding territory its foot is still firmly planted on the gas for the whole three and a half minutes. Have a listen and see if your interest in Unearth is likewise rekindled.

Song of the Day: Unearth - Big Bear and the Hour of Chaos

     I've written about American metalcore band Unearth once before, but only once, and that's been on purpose. As I've said before, I think Unearth is guilty more than any other band of resting on their laurels and writing songs and albums that suffer from too much interchangeability. But that doesn't mean there aren't some cool Unearth tunes, like tonight's short, sweet, and rather mature instrumental cut.

Songs of the Days 2

     Yeah, I'm terrible. I missed Song of the Day again yesterday. My excuse? I was at a friend's bachelor party. Although that doesn't excuse me for not doing it during the day, but whatever. The long and the short of it is that you get two songs today. I don't really have a connecting theme in mind, just a couple of songs for you to rock.