Search - God Forbid :: Out of Misery

A worthwhile grab

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 12/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"2005 is a great time to re-release God Forbid's sophomore EP. The band are at the height of their popularity, and so is metalcore. But I don't think of this as a cash-in; I prefer to think that God Forbid are one of those bands who want their fans to be happy, and don't want them to spend a billion dollars to find their rare C.D.'s. Aside from Bryan's rather unoriginal (and sometimes annoying) vocals, "Out of Misery" is quite a bit better than God Forbid's debut album, "Determination." The main reason for this is that the production and sound quality are much improved. The opening song, "N2," doesn't groove very fluidly, but it has a pounding rhythm with a fast double bass, and the next two tracks, "Mind Eraser" and "Habeeber," have heavy, almost blistering chug and churn guitars. "Madman" is kind of grating to listen to, because it's dominated by Bryan's heavy bellows and primal screams, but the next song, "Nosferatu," makes up for it with catchy, machine gun riffs and evil, Morbid Angel-like vocals. The last studio ("Inside") track is my personal favorite because it's very thrashy, with blowtorch riffs, pounding drums, and some high-pitched yells. The last five tracks on here are live, which were recorded at CBGB's club in New York, but they sound like they were recorded in someone's garage, because the sound quality is so wretched. Once you get past that, however, most fans should enjoy these songs because they are so heavy, they're borderline hardcore. "Out of Misery" is definitely not this band's best work, so it's not really worth owning for every metalcore/New Wave of American Heavy Metal collection. But it is essential for every God Forbid collection, so no fan should skip picking this up."