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Embrace The End - Ley Lines

March 26th, 2008, 1:55 am

Embrace The End play the kind of tech-crazed, hardcore schooled metal that bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Botch paved the way for. While the underground is overflowing with these types of bands, ETE play it well enough to warrant your attention. The guitar tandem of Spencer Daly and Chris Topher play every false harmonic, chord bend and solo run with a confident intensity usually reserved for far more seasoned players. The whirling fret board chaos of “Cop in a Cage” got my attention fast! While some of their riff ideas aren’t exactly groundbreaking, their patterns keep things moving along in a compelling manner. Some of their melodies recalled the likes of Forbidden and Iron Maiden and they are bountiful here. The only difference is they are bound together here by the band’s structural chaos.

But make no mistake; the other musicians in the band aren’t exactly slouches. The rhythm section of Bart Mullis (drums) and Addison Quarles (bass) hold the frenzied arrangements down expertly. The bass drums unfortunately suffer from the sterile production value that plagues most metal records these days but Mullis’ attack does cut through the walls of guitar. Jesse Alford’s vocals go from death metal grunts to hardcore barks from song to song. He’s definitely vicious in his role but he never truly distinguishes himself from the competition. All in all, songs like “Overnighter” and the title track offer fans of this genre new material to bang their heads with but ETE needs to push the envelope more on their next release.

Rating: 6.5
Label: Century Media Records
Website: www.centurymedia.com

By Carlos Ramirez

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