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By JEFF MAKI
Las Vegas's Hemlock is best described as tough-guy hardcore meets metal. They are a hard-working act that tours an average of nine months in a year and employs the do-it-yourself method. The band has toured regionally for years and performed with Slayer, Lamb of God and Sevendust, among many other high-profile metal bands. Their style can be compared to bands like Born from Pain, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall and veteran hardcore metallers Pro-Pain. The vocals are growls rather than the typical hardcore shouts, and the guitar sound is groove-heavy with a killer low end. The overall production is satisfactory at best, but the minimal effect actually gives the record a distinctive muffled and sludgy sound.
Standouts from No Time for Sorrow include “Backstabber,” which, as you might have guessed is not a love song but a "fuck you" to those that betray trust; album opener “World of the Transparent,” a song with an unbelievable build-up to an unrelenting assault; and “To Submerge Another,” on which Hemlock seems to take a few hints from NYC hardcore metal stalwarts Biohazard. Something happens starting with this song. Just when you are about to pass off Hemlock as another average hardcore metal band, they redeem themselves from a mediocre stretch of songs and leave a lasting impression with the final four.
Hemlock's aggressive sound and hard-working nature deserve some attention. They got that attention when they were an opening band on Ministry's C U LaTour. I haven't seen Hemlock live, but I've got a strong feeling that their selection for this tour was due to their live shows, which have been described as rowdy and energetic. The band says on their official web site that they “put on the show of a lifetime, every time.” If that's true, we just need this to translate into the full length of an album. |
