Unearth - The Wretched; The Ruinous (2023)^{Release ID: 44481}

Unearth are one of those bands that were very popular during the time I was just starting to get into metalcore during the late 2000s. They were always a band that I could enjoy their music, but never found myself returning to it in the same way as I did with Killswitch, All That Remains and, perhaps most importantly, August Burns Red.

The reason is because while Unearth and August Burns Red are quite similar structurally, ABR always had an advantage by just being slightly more progressive than your standard melodic metalcore band. Now I haven't actually listened to a mainline Unearth record since Watchers of Rule so I went in with muted expectations, but was surprised by what we ended up getting.

For starters, Unearth are not reinventing the wheel anymore than they already did back in the early/mid 2000s; very prominent guitar leads that form the harmonic progression for the chugging guitars and strong vocals from Trevor. Each track on this record has its own identity and the flow of the record is solid from top to bottom.

The mixing of the record is also quite solid. I did feel like the kick drum felt a little over-the-top on occasions, especially during breakdowns with prominent double-bass action, but when the guitars are soaring with those sweet melodic choruses, they tend to drop back and compliment the top two voices.

Unfortunately, like with August Burns Red earlier this year, Unearth are a band that are clearly stuck in that mid 2000s timbre of metalcore. As a result, The Wretched; The Ruinous does not reinvent the wheel in any meaningful way. Don't get me wrong; you will not confuse The Wretched; The Ruinous as a Killswitch Engage or Trivium album, so the band still has plenty of their identity still out there. But I was kind of hoping that this triumphant return of blazing guitar solos and chunky breakdowns might have received a modern facelift.

Best Songs: The Wretched; The Ruinous, Cremation of the Living, Invictus, Call of Existence, Broken Arrow

25 years on and Unearth continues to light the metalcore torch. Alongside other bands like Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, and God Forbid, this band has engraved their name into the New Wave of American Heavy Metal stone. However, with both founding rhythm guitarist Ken Susi and recent drummer Nick Pierce having just left the band and joined As I Lay Dying, it seemed like the torch might end up being put out...

Fortunately, their new album The Wretched; the Ruinous, has some of their heaviest diversity yet! The album contains Nick Pierce's last recordings with the band, though with earlier drummer Mike Justian rejoining the band later, I hope the band can make some albums with Mike in the future to restore the perfection of The Oncoming Storm.

Starting off the action right away is the spectacular title opener. This is perhaps the best track I've heard from the band in ages! Alongside some aggressive energy, guitarist Buz McGrath packs some punches with his melodic shredding force. Vocalist Trevor Phipps keeps his vocals moving forward, especially in the ending deep viking-esque chant of "No heroes... Year zero..." Different layers give the song diverse brilliance! "Cremation of the Living" has more of that excellent metalcore sound, a Gothenburg-style anthem with the riffs, vocals, and breakdowns throwing back to the mid-2000s, in a way where they can really do it! Next track "Eradicator" again has the At the Gates/In Flames melodeath style blend with moshing metalcore breakdowns, keep you interested in the heaviness.

What makes this album show the band at its strongest is the contrasting experimentation, as you can hear in "Mother Betrayal". It flashbacks to the band's earlier beauty from 20 years ago then twists it with the closest the band has gotten to black metal. With that and McGrath's sonic leads, that song is another epic standout. Then we have the thrash-blasting "Invictus". The strong breakdown isn't highly hardcore, but it has the brutal-melodic blend of Shogun-era Trivium. "Call of Existence" continues the melodic sound taken from Miss May I and The Browning (minus the electronics of the latter). Deeper down the line is "Dawn of the Militant", having more of the classic metallic hardcore sound of Earth Crisis and Strife, with great b*lls. This is solid heaviness we really need. It then leads to perhaps the most brutal breakdown the band has ever made. Absolutely killer sh*t right there!

"Aniara" is a soft acoustic interlude to start the final third of the album. "Into the Abyss" pulls you back into the heavier melodeath-infused drama of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. One true surprise in this offering is "Broken Arrow" which is more of a straight rocker. Some can be reminded of Queen of the Stone Age at some points. Nonetheless, their 2000s metalcore throwback is still on as the guitar leads, riffs, and breakdowns continue to crush. The album's closing track "Theaters of War" concludes quite strongly, like everything has lead up to this point. It all ends in a hellbent breakdown unleashed in a punishing catastrophe to break the world apart.

The Wretched; The Ruinous marks both the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. The band can continue what has made them great while adding in nice surprises. The metalcore sound is still in their hearts. This album is filled with amazing hard-hitters and occasional experimentation. Their fame shall be kept high!

Favorites: "The Wretched; the Ruinous", "Eradicator", "Mother Betrayal", "Invictus", "Dawn of the Militant", "Theaters of War"