As the summer tour season heats up, Hot Topic is carrying the official Sounds of the Underground compilation. Two CDs and one DVD filled with metal, and related genres, music and videos. I may not like everything that is included on the set, but there is no denying there is some killer tracks included. So, if you aren't going to any of the shows, this is the next best thing, letting you get a little taste of the chaos you are missing. For those who are going, this will likely be a nice set to remind you of the blood that was left out on the floor. 31 songs and 15 videos, how can you go wrong?
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Disk one of the set contains one song from each of the bands on the tour, starting at the top and working thier way down. First up is GWAR with "Eight Lock," a thrashy track off their excellent latest release, Beyond Hell. I was surprised to hear that they would be the tour's headliner as the package seems to skew towards more recent acts rather than one that is nearing two decades of activity. Following that are the three acts that will rotate in the secondary headline spot. First up being Shadow's Fall with "Failure of the Devout," one of the heavier tracks from Threads of Life, next up is Chimaira's "Resurrection" from the album of the same name, it is a strong album, and they will likely impress, lastly is "The New Black" from Every Time I Die, and the first track to fail to impress me, there is something about the screamo stylings that just didn't really work for me.
Following the top four are 11 more tracks of metal, screamo, metalcore, death, or however else you would like to categorize it. Highlights from the remaining bands has to start with Amon Amarth, masters of Viking metal, their offering is entitled "Runes to My Memory" from With Oden on Our Side. Job for a Cowboy and Darkest Hour both offer up some very heavy tracks, with Darkest Hour truly impressing with their melodic yet crushing sound. Stepping away from metal for a moment, Necro is an interesting inclusion, a rapper with death metal influences and live instruments. His song, called "The Pre-Fix," is rather interesting, reminding me of Anybody Killa's style. Most of the songs deliver the goods, though The Acacia Stain's music is better than the vocals and 2Cents offers up some interesting narration at the start, but doesn't completely engage me. At the other end of the scale is The Number Twelve Looks Like You who I just do not like, ever since I first heard them on tour with HORSE the Band I just cannot get into them. Likewise, This is Hell doesn't really work for me either, their sound is a bit unfocused to me.
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