Reviews

What happened to the days when bands would sing?
 
The Unseen bring us a decent blend of punk/hardcore here with just a touch of metal. The music is tight and straight ahead. Ah fuck it, the music rocks pretty damn hard. The vocals just bring the whole thing down though. Maybe the fact I listen to bands like Bad Religion have lead me to believe vocals are meant to be sung and not screamed. Maybe, I am wrong though ... perhaps screaming is the way to go.
 
The lyrics on this album are political with little to no remorse, they aren't Leftover Crack but they aren't afraid to point a finger or two either. In terms of who they point the finger at though, they don't stray to far from what we've come to expect from bands like Anti-Flag and the like. Their targets seem to include America's government, fake people, and all your typical punk rock topics.
 
The one potential bright spot was their cover of the Rolling Stones "Paint It Black" as many bands have covered this with quite a bit of success over the years. The fact they do essentially the same thing Earth Crisis did when they covered this song essentially eliminates the whole basis of covering it.
 
The album as a whole wasn't bad, there are tracks I would skip though, several of them. While they execute what they do very well, so do several other bands who have more talent and more history behind them. If you want political hardcore punk with screamed vocals checkout Strike Anywhere, Rise Against, or Leftover Crack. (though they're more ska). Then again, to each their own ... check it out before you buy it though.
 
(guest review: Johnathon from punkunited.com)