Sure to be one of Victory Records most brutal debuts ever, Goodbye to the Gallows is a punishing first release from Emmure. Produced by Zeuss (who has also worked with Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, and Remembering Never), this is heavy, heavy stuff, metalcore played with such ferocity and love for crushing breakdowns that at times is gets mired in its own desire to "out pummel" any other band in existence. Once you get past the hilarious song titles, there's really nothing at all funny about these ten tracks, all sick examples of brutality featuring crushing guitar riffs and garbled hardcore growls, occasionally tempered by some weak emo-ish clean vocals. In fact, this is probably the weakest aspect of Goodbye to the Gallows. If I were Emmure, I'd stop throwing in these types of vocals, as they really ruin the momentum of songs like "Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle" and "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong", not to mention the fact that the clean vocals, which were probably intended to be melodic, are anything but. When these guys get down to gut-bustin', mosh friendly territory, as they do quite well on songs like "10 Signs You Should Leave" and "Key to Keeping the Show Fresh Is... I'm Dead", they are quite lethal indeed, and when all the elements click, like on "When Everything Goes Wrong, Take the Easy Way Out", this is one killer metal machine. Throw in the occasional tricky guitar bit, and lots of punishing rhythms, and you have a solid debut that reeks of promise, but shows a young band that still has some work to do.
Track Listing
1. Ticket for the Paralyzer
2. 10 Signs You Should Leave
3. When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong
4. Rusted Over Wet Dreams
5. You Got a Henna Tattoo That Said Forever
6. Travis Bickle
7. Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle
8. Key to Keeping the Show Fresh Is... I'm Dead
9. It's Not Just a Party, It's a Funeral
10. When Everything Goes Wrong, Take the Easy Way Out
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