Band: The Famine
Title: The Architects of Guilt
Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. The New Hell
2. Ad Mortem
3. We Are The Wolves
4. Turner Classic Diaries
5. Bigger Cages, Longer Chains!
6. The Crown and The Holy See
7. VII The Fraudulent
8. A Pavement Of Good Intentions
9. A Fragile Peace
10. Pyrithion House
11. To The Teeth
This CD should come with a warning: Keep Out of View of Children! I love the artwork for The Famine’s The Architects of Guilt, and nothing encapsulates this album better than this cover. It is a perfect fit for what this album is all about. The Famine released a very good first album, The Raven and The Reaping, in 2008 that I still listen to a lot; however, I honestly thought that would be the last we would hear from this Texas based outfit, especially after the departure of their vocalist Chris and the burning down of their studio. I am glad to say that The Famine pushed through all that and came back with another album that is stellar.
With The Architects of Guilt, The Famine have taken their music to a new level. As much as I loved their last album, I like this one even more. This album is much more technical and just all around more brutal and nasty. I can pretty much sum up the album in one word, “NASTY.” The Famine makes excellent use of chaotic guitars, heavy drums, and intense vocals throughout the album. One thing that I really liked about the album was that the tempo of the album alternates between fast and slow but is never predictable. In addition, they also do a great job of making each song sound unique, and they shy away from using filler tracks.
Nick, the new vocalist, does an excellent job on the album. He does a great job of alternating between the higher screams and lower growls. I was unsure of him moving from bass to vocals, but he has a great voice that fits perfectly with the rest of the band. As far as lyrics, this is a dark album covering topics such as the consequences of our words and the perils of society when it blindly follows without question.
I don’t really have a favorite track on the album because I love all of them. One of the more interesting tracks for me was the last one, “To The Teeth.” The groovy guitars in the track set it apart from the rest of the album, and the track is overall slower than the rest of the album; however, they still speed things up from time to time as well. This is album is so good that I found myself trying to find something wrong with it in order to give it a lower score. In the end, I just could not find anything that I didn’t like about the album.
Overall: This album is incredible! This album is dripping with testosterone and will definitely put some hair on your chest! There will be no sophomore slump with The Famine. I know it’s still early in the year, but The Architects of Guilt is well on its way to being my favorite album of 2011. Other album this year might be just as good, but it will be pretty hard to beat The Architects of Guilt.
RIYL: Meshuggah, Becoming the Archetype, As They Sleep