‘Watchers Of Rule’ Becomes Too Predictable

Album: Watchers Of Rule
Artist: Unearth
Genre: Metalcore
Release Date: 28 October 2014
Official Website: Unearth.tv

Diagnosis: By now it’s not a surprise that Unearth released another album that is pretty much the same as the other albums they’ve been putting out, but at what point does it become tiring? A certain portion of their fan base will never get bored of this stuff. And as far as recycling the same formula on every album goes, as I’ve said before, Unearth is particularly good at what they do. Where most average listeners would probably stop listening after recycling so much, I think Unearth is one of the few bands that keeps reminding people of their talent without having to try something new. But the fact remains that you start to hear the same riffs or very similar riffs as the album progresses and that’s never something you want to start noticing. You barely notice when a song ends and a new one begins. Unearth songs will always be ones you should experience live, but with the current state of their releases, listening to them live is probably the only thing most fans care about. I can’t help but feeling that a band this talented should try challenging themselves at least a little bit. I think they’re capable of much more.

The Highlights: “The Swarm” has been out for a while, so I think most people already know it’s a killer song, but I’m going to say it again anyway. The album starts loud and fast with the relentless double pedals of this song and you’re not more than a minute and a half in before already hearing 4 different and  brutally fast riffs seamlessly transition into each other. The guitar solo is equally impressive. “Lifetime In Ruins” has a bass guitar that hits the ears like a freight train and it only gets heavier from there. I love that the main riff is highlighted as it fades out at the end. Although they’re still largely steam rolling their way through the album on “Guards Of Contagion” this is where they start to get more melodic, as short-lived as it is. Screams turn to roars on “Trail To Fire” and is easily one of the heaviest songs on the album.

Final Thoughts: Watchers Of Rule is an album that is over sooner than you expect, with most of the songs clocking in less than 4 minutes and by the time the title track comes along, you already know what to expect to hear. Unearth is still as talented as they’ve ever been, but they’ve gotten too comfortable and the music just isn’t nearly as interesting as it used to be. Still interesting, just not as much. And they’re too good of a band to settle for so little.

Score: 5.5 out of 10