Search - Diecast :: Internal Revolution

Good, not great

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 11/05/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bullet For My Valentine, Atreyu, Caliban, Silent Civilian, All That Remains, and now Diecast. It seems just about every metalcore band is taking several pages out of Killswitch Engage's playbook by lacing their hard hitting aggression with soaring choruses and sweet, clean vocals when they release a new album in 2006. A couple bands, like Trivium, have mostly outgrown that cliche, but it seems a far greater number of groups are bogging down in it. Fortunately, Diecast's new album, "Internal Revolution," is different than some of the product put out by some above-mentioned metalcore bands because is doesn't really sound like a desperation cry for higher record sales. True, a band becomes almost immediately more commercially accessible whenever it adopts any kind of melody, but this record sounds more like a natural progression for this Boston quintet, and less like a desperation cry or trend jump. This is partially due to the fact that they formed in 1997 (several years before metalcore was even heard of), so many would argue it's about time they tweaked their sound a little and added some diversity. Plus, these are very competent musicians who possess more than enough strength needed to make this record withstand a few cliche parts. It's still plenty heavy, muscular, and as tight as a clenched fist. So, in short, the newfound melody doesn't dilute the music; if anything, it only enhances an already great sound.



"Internal Revolution"'s slick overproduction and formulaic song structures will surely turn off some listeners. And tracks seven and eight, "Out Of Reach" and "S.O.S.," are so boring and cookie-cutter, they'll make the eyes of even the most passionate metalcore fan glaze over. But those who are wise enough to hear every song will soon learn that those two are throw-offs, and the rest of the album is much, much better.



With fiery, fast chug and churn riffs, forceful, airtight double bass work, and throaty yelling, the beginning of the title cut is one of the disc's heaviest and meanest moments. But the best part of this song comes after the scorching intro, when the band do a 180 degree turn and toss in a soulful, well-sung (albeit Howard Jones-lite) chorus. "Fractured" is more predictable, but it remains a gem because it well-balances catchy, almost Pantera-esque verses (composed of strong, blistering riffs and a crashing high-hat) with a restrained, infectious chorus. Similarly,"Weakness" opens with deft, ripping, very speedy guitar picking before eventually segueing into a section with gentle crooning and light, undistorted strumming.



It isn't all the same, though; several songs on here prove that Diecast don't always need to resort to clean singing and other generic pleasantries to make powerful, memorable product. "Fade Away," the lead single, is somewhat melodic, but not at all in a typical way. It anchors harmonic, twin guitar leads with thunderous, machine gun blasts. And some songs, like "Never Forget" and "Definition of a Hero," have no use for melody at all: the former is a full-speed-ahead onslaught that's packed with blistering riffs and solos, and the latter features a constantly pounding rhythm, slamming drums, booming guitars, and a hardcore-ish, bellowed shout-along.



All forty-seven minutes of "Internal Revolution" (including "The Coldest Rain," a gloomy, acoustic-strummed ballad at the end) is heavily drenched in the metalcore formula. But it still sounds great and is well-written, professionally played, flawlessly executed, and trimmed of any superfluous fat. The bottom line? "Internal Revolution" offers absolutely nothing you haven't heard before and won't hear again in the future. But, ultimately, it is still a strong, enjoyable, satisfying effort with many promising bright spots and flashes of brilliance."

Different DIECAST

J. Sanders | TENNESSEE | 10/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is different in the way that it is softer. It is catchier and has some more accessible material on it. Some people might say that is a bad thing, but this album is the best one they have released and I love it! The songs are structured so well and the singer has such a unique delivery that I have found myself listening to it over and over again. Their last cd was good, but you could tell that it wasn't thought out completely. It was pretty much brutal and in your face and that can get old. This album maintains the heaviness from before, but with a twist, there's more singing! The music is fierce and the drumming is phenomenal! This band is made or broke on the talent of their singer though. He delivers tremendously on this album. You can hear it in his voice that he is giving you all he has to give and you can't ask for much more in a lead singer people. This cd is great and it's one of my top 5 for 2006! Please support this band. IF you are thinking about buying this then all I have to say is buy the damn thing! It is great and the band is great and they deserve to go places. There is not a bad song on here but the ones that stand out to me the most are as follows:"fractured" "hourglass" "fade away" "s.o.s." and "definition of a hero". Check this album out guys if you like killswitch engage, shadows fall, and any other great metal core band."

The album trivium wish they made instead of Crusade

CRV | New York City | 03/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This band got it right for creating good modern metal. Trivium's new album crusade failed in this respect since trivium lost their agression and just sold out to melody. This album has the right mix of aggression and melody. The guitar breakdowns are interesting, the vocals are very good another good mix of aggressive screamo and timely melodic chorus.

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