Every time I hear about a death metal band getting signed to Roadrunner, I always play the extreme skeptic. The days when the label could call Death, Obituary, and Cynic their own are long behind us. Would an acquisition like Daath harken to the glory days of old, or become another forgettable band aimed squarely at the Hot Topic crowd?

The answer is a resounding no to both claims. The Hinderers is not a “true” death metal release by any stretch of the imagination, but it should not be automatically lumped in the mallcore category with most of Roadrunner’s lineup. What we have here is an earnestly entertaining effort, a little lacking in depth yet bursting with catchy riffs and rhythms. Eyal Levi and Emil Werstler certainly know their way around a fretboard, and the precise drumming courtesy of well-known band-whore Kevin Talley adds a solid groove to the experience.

But what do they actually sound like? I’ve heard them called Industrial Metal and I’ve heard them called Death Metal although they don’t really fit the mold of either. Daath seems to be the lovechild of Wages of Sin-era Arch Enemy and Arsis. They demonstrate the melodies and harmonies of the former combined with the technicality and brutality of the latter and some fairly run-of-the-mill vocals. Just to be a little different though, Daath spends the weekends with uncle Static-X to get an electronic cherry on top. While these electronics are certainly not the prime focus of most songs (save for the funky, club-tastic “Dead on the Dancefloor”), they certainly help Daath stand out from the rest of the melodic death metal pack.

The production, handled by the very proficient James Murphy, is excellent as one would expect. The drums sound punishing, the guitars are clear and crisp, and the keyboards complement the sound well without overwhelming the mix. The only thing that gets smothered by it all is the Jeremy Creamer’s bass, but seeing that the bass doesn’t seem to be doing anything interesting anyway it’s not exactly a tragic loss. Writing more interesting parts for metal’s forgotten instrument could certainly add another layer of depth for future releases.

The most memorable tracks on The Hinderers tend to be the fastest ones; whirlwind songs like “Ovum” and the wisely-selected first single “Subterfuge” keep the album moving at a brisk pace. Where Daath seems to falter, however, is in the slower mid-paced songs: for the most part they’re just not very interesting. I found myself hitting the skip button after just a few listens of “Under a Somber Sign” and “Festival Mass Soulform”, while filler like “Above Lucium” could put a cokehead to sleep. Another complaint could be that the tracks are too short, all hitting around the 3-4 minute mark. For other bands this might be all well and good, but Daath’s epic sound in places (like the close of the title track) cries for more development and progression.

Overall though, the good tends to outweigh the bad on this album, and it is a very big step ahead of their much simpler independent debut, Futility. Metal elitists will turn up their noses due to the more mainstream sound, but those with an open mind can find plenty to love here. The Hinderers isn’t going to change your life, but it’s a good listen and an excellent major label debut for these guys from Atlanta.

Author: Martin Parets
Score: 7.5/10
Label: Roadrunner Records
Website: www.daathmusic.com

Rate this review: (27 votes, average: 3.07 out of 5)
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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 at 1:53 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

m_sutin wrote:

this is a good cd

March 8th, 2007 at 1:42 am

Bobbie Dooley wrote:

Fun To Listen to

May 29th, 2007 at 12:14 am

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