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The Artery Records Summer 2010 Sampler is a free promotional CD that pushes some of the label's bigger releases for, surprise, the summer of 2010. Featuring ten songs by five bands, this sampler sometimes feels more like an endurance test then any kind of album that a label is going to sell, with pretty much each band worst then the last in terms of metal-related material. Not all of it is bad, it's just that some bands decide to take a worthwhile sound and pretty much destroy anything enjoyable about it with stereotypical or annoying elements traditional to their prefered output. Of the five bands, the only one on here that doesn't really pose much of a problem is the band Chelsea Grin. In fact, this band is rather enjoyable to listen to if it weren't for the breakdowns on the tracks provided. This band seems to just follow in the footsteps of many Deathcore bands at this point, really focusing in more on Death Metal material, but bring in some core aspects in the guitar work, as well as breakdowns, the latter being the more important aspect of their sound. Luckily the breakdowns aren't too bad. Unlike others on this sampler, the breakdowns work with the music the band plays, but at the same time they just aren't as strong as the rest of the album, and the higher shrieks that are done through the entire album are nicely done and often sound rather evil, but can sometimes just go over the limit and become a little comical. Sadly, after their two donations to this sampler, everything starts to just go downhill. Bury Tomorrow is not that bad a Metalcore band honestly, but listening to it will give off vibes of Killswitch Engage as well as Sonic Syndicate throughout their two tracks. While the music is rather enjoyable and clearly more of a band geared towards a mainstream representation of this combination of sounds. The main drawback here is that the music sounds rather hollow and lacks any real kick to it. This is quite odd considering that this is their first donated track, "You and I", while "Her Bones in the Sand" is a much heavier sounding track with deeper distortion. Again, the chorus is sung while the verses are shouted, leaving for a structure that is very familiar to the Metalcore style, and overall isn't all that enjoyable as this song, too, has a recording quality that still sounds hollow. But again, these tracks are far better then the next offering. Next up is two tracks from the more Hardcore and Metalcore act Attila, which actually wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for the greatly toned down breakdowns that litter the songs, as well as the annoying background screaming who sounds like he's being a total wiseass every time he opens his mouth. Even the gang chants are weak and, for the most part, just sound like that seem background screamer layered in the production mix with certain layers having an echo effect. Musically it's good, and the quick paced vocals that border into rap work well with it at times, but it's just those background screams and chants that completely ruin the in your face attitude of the music, as well as make you not even want to continue, especially when they chime in at the start of "The Invitation" which will have you scrambling for the skip track button, which really only provides brief relief as it ushers in the next chunk of Deathcore fromt he band I Declare War. This band isn't too bad and sounds a bit like a combination of later Job For A Cowboy and Whitechapel, but their breakdowns are easily the most boring you will ever hear in your life. "Extermination Process" shows some great potential from the band in the Brutal Death Metal genre, but as soon as the breakdown kicks in, which lasts about twenty seconds and in that span of time drops from a fast, hard hitting song to simply thirteen total hits on a single cymbol with a 3 second pause where it seems like the drummer fell asleep and missed one, and three actual guitar riffs played, leaving a great deal of dead air. The last two tracks on this sampler make no sense and leave one to wonder why they would be signed to this label, or any label such as "Artery Records", which just sounds a bit menacing. A Bullet for Pretty Boy is the last band featured, and this seems to really be the holy grail of material here, as these are unreleased tracks from the band's album that is due out much later then when this sampler was put together. While there are acts out there that have emo-sounding names that still are heavy and often impressive, like I Killed the Prom Queen, this band has no real heaviness factor and the name represents it's Emo nature perfectly. The start to "I Will Destroy the Wisdom of the Wise", a song title that would best be fitting to a Mathcore/Hardcore act, sounds whiny beyond belief before going into some enjoyable Screamo section. "Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholder" seems to have some edge to the music, but still falters greatly from the highly whiny vocals that are migraine enducing between the sudden jerks from fast and heavy riffs to slower paced atmosphering music that could drift some listeners off until that said vocal style hits and ruins any ambience that is given. Artery Records summer line-up, according to this sampler, has only one real glimmering hope with Chelsea Grin, but outside that, the rest of the bands are either stereotypical, or seriously destroy what talent is brought into their music through horrible breakdowns. If you're a fan of the Emo or Screamo, then A Bullet for Pretty Boy (which could only be to try to get fans of A Bullet for my Valentine to possibly see their album when fans rifle through that section hoping for some kind of odd release like a single or something, or perhaps purchase it on accident when mixed in with that act's material) will probably make you happy. If you're not a Deathcore fan, then there's no real reason to even be checking out this sampler, but even if you are it's hard to sit back and say you will like this sampler, or anything other then one act from the label's Summer 2010 line up, and even that's pushing it thanks to the vocal approach used in Chelsea Grin's material, and the fact that not everyone will enjoy it. |
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