The 2013 Arsies: January 4, 2013

January 4, 2013

In this very special episode of the Arsies, the action starts with Lamb Of God's seventh studio album, Resolution, and pretty quickly the band shows signs of spreading out their sound a little bit. There's evidence of moodiness, progressiveness, and on Insurrection even a glimmer of melody. There's also plenty of thrashy goodness and other reasons to jump into the pit. The album finishes up as morosely as it started, with the spaghetti-western King Me. A solid and enjoyable showing for Blythe and Company, while Resolution is no Ashes Of The Wake, it doesn't disappoint (and it ain't as skippable as Wrath either).
Turning the now defunct Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, does their swansong album, Danza IIII: The Alpha - The Omega (hereafter, Danza IV) have what it takes to step to Lamb Of God? In a word: ohjesusyes. This is one remorseless album. The extremely scalloped production values, evident from the first second of the opening track, Behind Those Eyes, are the only hint you get that you're about to get your teeth kicked in. The nasty business doesn't let up until a breather halfway through the album, but then the assault picks back up, with a half hour that turns prog and melodic metal on their heads. Danza IV is every bit the album that The Acacia Strain should have released this year (instead of their tepid Death Is The Only Mortal). It makes the Lamb Of God sound restrained by comparison. It's the musical equivalent of when Ralphie wails on Scut Farkus. I almost feel sorry for Lamb Of God, for the second time this year. So, congrats to TDTE, who end their career with a masterwork of audio cruelty.
We resume the competition next week with two supergroups: Down and Old Man Gloom.