With All the Rage: Chained

The album art depicts an individual (we only see the lower half of the body) trudging across dry and cracked earth, his or her feet shackled together. Behind the person, a looming shadow covers the wasted earth. It's a striking image, one that certainly captures the awfulness of being alone and in trouble in an unwelcoming place. I'm not sure what the exact relationship between this image and the music on this album could be. Perhaps the picture is one of those that simply creates a mood; if so, it's a bleak one, the kind that tells us the music here will be dark and alienating.

As for the music, it's probably best described as a blend of groove and thrash metal. To me, the thrashier elements are especially strong on this album. The guys in this band, like snakes, strike quickly and powerfully. I also enjoyed the crisp, clear, production on the album. The music is strong but it also sounds good. The groovier moments mostly come through the guitars—there are several solid riffs here. There are even better melodic solo passages. I recommend checking out tracks like "Corrosive" and "Seven Carats." Despite all the powerful and thrashing music, I especially enjoyed the closing track "Dedicated to Nothing." It's a simple instrumental track, one built exclusively out of simple chords and arpeggios. Still, the melancholy of the solo guitar took me back to the image of the solitary prisoner on this album's cover. Perhaps some things have no dedications and no overarching purpose. They just are.

Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Psycho
3. Run
4. White Pig
5. Corrosive
6. Involution
7. Seven Carats
8. Dehumanized
9. Dedicated to Nothing (Outro)

Added: March 13th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1818
Language: english

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