Hero's Last Rite: Inevitable is the End

Though Canada's Hero's Last Rite have worked very hard on their debut, it doesn't do very much. Yes, the band's a tight unit but – and it pains me to say this – they are little better than average. Steve McDonald's vocals are okay, his growl making the lyrics intelligible, yet they remain shallow. The technical and the chunky riffs of Tim Gorman and Mike Davidson are, again, okay but fail to make much of an impression. And where the bass is is anybody's guess. Dan Rogers' drumming, however, is the most impressive aspect of the band's performance, combining straight-ahead beats with complex rhythms and intricate fills, but the material he has to work with allows little space to do anything remarkable. The songs bear little originality and the lyrics are too simple to say anything truly intriguing. In adopting the "tell it like it is" approach, once you've heard the song, that's it, you need never listen again. 'Hero's Last Rite' is a tribute to Dimebag Darrel that, though touching in its sentimentality, is let down by the rhyming dictionary lyrics and weightless riffs. And as the songs lack any real power, so does the production. In the mix, the guitars are panned hard left and right so that when it comes to solos, the balance falters as one side weakens, and the lead guitar tone is as weak and fragile as the lead breaks. The closing track 'Bleed' is an embarrassing acoustic piece with a sickening attempt at "heart felt" lyrics and matching vocal performance. This album is about fifteen years too late. Had they released this when Metallica released Load, they would have made a killing. But we had Pantera and Slayer back then. Today, it offers nothing new or inspiring and Inevitable is the End stands only as a solid but average heavy metal debut. Maybe their next one will be an improvement.

Track Listing

1. I Dwell Within
2. Inevitable Is the End
3. Lead (Behind My Back)
4. Gale Storm
5. Hero's Last Rite
6. Hopeless Genocide
7. Shame
8. No Regard
9. The Hell You're in For
10. Why We Die
11. Bleed

Added: July 17th 2011
Reviewer: Jason Guest
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2077
Language: english

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