The anger is strong on this album. Facedown Records’ Those Who Fear just dropped their debut full length Unholy Anger on Tuesday and you better believe it lives up to its title.
Those
Who Fear self-released their EP Legacy
in 2011 with a work ethic that could not be stopped. The band knew that with
hard work and dedication, their hardcore Christian band would get
somewhere. Josh Schroeder at Random
Awesome Studios has worked with bands such as The Burial and was ready to keep
pushing Those Who Fear in the studio for this full length.
On
this album, Those Who Fear has a more rounded sound with every member
contributing equally and makes it a cohesive release. The band pushes
boundaries and proves that it doesn’t matter what religion you are, as long as
you have the talent and drive to write and perform music.
The
album finds the band exploring the darker depths of religious ideology and
takes the listener on a journey of sorts. Each track delivers intense guitar
riffs, consistent breakdowns, and lyrics that will make you want to mosh as
you’re driving down the road.
While
comparisons to The Acacia Strain have been made, Those Who Fear relies less on
synth background and focuses more on delivering the heaviest breakdowns they
can handle.
Honestly,
Unholy Anger contains brutality
beyond my expectations with crushing bass drops and fast tempered riffs that
made me feel like annihilating someone in the pit would be a fantastic idea.
Those Who Fear are a band of guys who take the definition of heavy and make it heavier. The album never turns to repetition and is 40 minutes of a metal head’s dream.
“Relentless”
has to be my favorite track on the entire album. The lyrics have a meaning that
resounds in your head and vocalist John Healy is definitely relentless with his
screams.
Even the intermissions deliver bone crushing power with “Day Of Judgement” taking the album into a faster tempo than the previous five songs. It’s a well-produced transition that most albums in this genre lack nowadays.
For me, “Burn” was the weakest song on the album,
but not by much. No album can be absolutely perfect.
Those
Who Fear will be announcing tour dates soon and I would suggest checking them
out if they’re visiting your town. Unholy
Anger is available on ITunes as well as on Spotify if you prefer. Keep on
the lookout for this hard hitting band.
- Felicia Hunt
- Felicia Hunt
