A Static Lullaby -- 'Faso Latido' [review]

A Static Lullaby
"Faso Latido"
(Columbia Records)


"Tonight, this poet dies..."
-- From "Half Man, Half Shark; Equals One Complete Gentleman"


A Static Lullaby's "Faso Latido" is the musical equivalent of a band like From Autumn to Ashes turning into The Used.

While, on its surface the album is still a "screamo" alternative rock offering, the band flip-flopped on how the material was presented. On the group's first album, the impressive "...And Don't Forget to Breathe," the hard-hitting music and screamed/strained vocals were occasionally tempered with a more melodic tone and gentler presentation. On "Faso Latido," the band opted for a 180 degree shift -- now the hardcore vocals are interspersed among melodic fare that, while still strong, seems completely different from what the band's original material promised.

That is not to say A Static Lullaby are any less relevant or as good as its last outing ... just that the band moved in a different direction (think Brand New or Taking Back Sunday in reference to the musical shift).

"Faso Latido" is a solid musical outing for the band. Whether it was the production, or the band going for a more "mature" sound here, everything sounds much tighter and more streamlined.

Phil Pirrone really shines on the bass, which is much more prominent on this album. Working in tandem with Brett Dinovo on drums, the duo lays down a nice backdrop to A Static Lullaby's sound, but also manage to take center stage on occasion (most notably the drumming on "Calmer Than You Are" and the bass work on throughout "Shotgun!").

Front man Joe Brown holds his own on the album, with a moody vocal delivery the resonates more emotion than most of the bands making this type of music. He also comes across much more confident, not only in delivery, but in over all style. While on "...And Don't Forget To Breathe" the vocals seemed a mere component of the group's overall sound, here Brown actually stands tall as the band's front man.

Dan Arnold and Nathan Linderman work well together on guitar, which is where the heart of the A Static Lullaby sound lives: the more high-pitched intricate play layered over firm riffs, giving most of the songs an almost epic feel even though, for the most part, everything is clocking in around three-plus minutes.

While "Stand Up" seems to be the song generating the most buzz at the moment, it isn't the best of what "Faso Latido" has to offer. "Stand Up" is catchy enough, and probably one of the more commercially accessible tracks on the album. But it's songs like "Radio Flyer's Last Journey" or "Calmer Than You Are" that really get to the meat of what A Static Lullaby are capable of. "Calmer" would be labeled the anthem of the disc, as a layer, demonic-sounding pre-chorus gives way to a chant-worthy refrain of "We can't wait for..." The song also features the multiple vocal styles the band has to offer: the spoken word, strained vocals, screams and normal singing. "Radio Flyer's Last Journey" is chock-full of driving guitar riffs and, while they really aren't catchy enough to get stuck in your head, the whole song has just the right intangible hook to be played over and over again.

Overall, while this is a different beast from the band's first album, "Faso Latido" is a definite hit. The band took the time to grow and evolve as musicians, and changed everything enough to do so while holding the spark of its original sound.

Burn the Priest -- Self-titled [review]

Burn the Priest
Burn the Priest
(Epic Records)


Lamb of God has steadily pushed its way to the front of the line when it comes to modern American heavy metal. With last year's "Ashes of the Wake," the band's first effort on a major label, Lamb of God proved it was a force to be reckoned.

Of course, this news was nothing new to the band's long-time fans that had pounded fists to 2003's "As the Palaces Burn," or the group's debut, 2000's "New American Gospel."

But until now, this five man wrecking crew's first outing, under the moniker Burn the Priest, was a little known and hard-to-find gem in the Lamb of God war chest.

No longer... the album has been remixed and remastered for the band's legions of fans.

"Burn the Priest" is far more raw than the quintet's more recent material. The sludgy, thrash-meets-death metal musical framework is still readily apparent; it's front man Randy Blythe that stands out here. As much as the band seems to channel an intense version of Pantera, on "Burn the Priest" Blythe sounds more like Phil Anselmo (Pantera lead singer) fronting Superjoint Ritual on its first release. That is to say the vocal delivery sounds far more strained and guttural than simply intense. Track after track, Blythe tears through lyrics that seem more of an afterthought given the sick guitar riffs and intense (double-bass) drumming accompanying him.

Lamb of God fans will recognize tracks like the album's opener, "Bloodletting," as it has remained a staple of the band's live act. Other songs like "Chronic Auditory Hallucination" and "Salvation" unfold at a breakneck pace as it seemed clear the band was content with going in, kicking ass and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

"Lame" is a bludgeoning masterpiece, while "Dimera" is pure brutality. The vocals switch from an ungodly howl to a scream with abandon, and every breakdown sounds like it was crafted to start a near-riot in any mosh pit.

It's clear from "Burn the Priest," which was originally independently released in 1999, that Lamb of God had a strong future in the metal industry (through I doubt anyone could foresee just how great the band was to become).

While there's some filler at times, overall this is pretty solid metal release, albeit a little more "extreme" than the material the band releases nowadays. Any Lamb of God fan will be happy to add this to their collection. Other metal fans could be just as happy, provided you aren't looking for any melodic bridges -- this is metal that fans of thrash and death will love.