Man this cd is annoying! Not that it sucks per se, but it is SO disjointed and difficult to describe! This is music coming from a band with a mountain of potential as they have proved their many talents in the past. Embodyment started out back in 1993 as a straight death metal band akin to bands like Cannibal Corpse and Crimson Thorn. Then in 1998 they released Embrace the Eternal with influences from bands like Living Sacrifice and Meshuggah and created a totally unique and independent modern death metal sound that most listeners couldn't wait to hear more of! Now the new sound at its best moments resembles Staind and at its worst reminds me of Hootie and the Blowfish! There is a lot of talent here and the production is good, it's just that listening to this (being an old Embodyment fan) can really throw one for a loop! The first, third, fourth and fifth tracks are SO mellow that it is hard to get past that portion of the cd. The first track starts off sounding exactly like someone I know I have heard on MTV but can't quite pinpoint who. Track two, with its Korn influenced riffs, is the first glimpse of promise on here with an emotional hardcore approach similar to Staind and Deftones. Some of these more mellow songs actually have a "relaxing" feel to them. The mellower tracks are decent, just not really my thing. After track five they dive headfirst into some straight hardcore confusing this listener to no end! And then follow that up with several more tracks of emotional hardcore in the vein of Korn and Staind. The biggest problem I can see here is, as stated, it is very disjointed and doesn't really flow well. The songs (although all unique and independent of each other) don't seem to belong on the same album. Overall this should do pretty well for the band as it is catchy with modern groove guitars. There are even a few (very few) moments that resemble the old nature of this band which they displayed on the monumental release Embrace the Eternal, mainly when the singer gets extremely hardcore in his vocal approach and the guitars become very heavy with some harmonic tweek. I will admit that with repeated listens this seems to be growing on me (yes, even the mellow stuff)! If you want some good Staind/Deftones/Stavesacre style emo-core then you might like this. The choice is yours.
7/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #83Reviewed by Doug Van PeltAre you ready for a shock? Embodyment has rewritten their entire sound. Instead of extreme metal, they're closer to emo or indie rock. What?! You did read correct. The first four songs plod along in indie rock / emo land before we ever hear that shrill and fierce shrieking scream we've come to know Embodyment by. Those who were shocked by the transformation Mark and Jeff made from The Crucified…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestWhen I started the Art For The Ears radioshow in January 1999 Embodyment's Embrace The Eternal was the first CD of the Month release. You can understand that I was anxious to hear The Narrow. I was told that it is a different disc. A change of direction like the change it was for Brett Detar moving from Zao to The Juliana Theory. Now I listen to the CD I have to admit there's truth in that. This…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerThe band's name and their home label were all I needed to make up my mind. "Great," I thought, sliding the CD into its slot in the player, "more hardcore." So you can imagine my surprise when, several measures into the first song, Sean Corbray, Embodyment's lead singer, greeted me with a well-crafted and performed melody. With the addition of Corbray, the band has abandoned the thrashy hardcore…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by Hey YouOk, this review might be a LITTLE biased, but that's only because I like metal. This disc is very good. Embodyment pulls off the emo-core thing very well. The singing is top-notch, as is the instrumentation. Of course, there is no need to worry about production because they are on Solid State, and if that doesn't impress you, the fact that the album was produced by Barry Poynter and Jason…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by thOrNAll hail the passing of the greatest metal band, embodyment. All hail the arrival of the greatest emo-core band, embodyment. Yes I know what you ALL think... Yes embodyment wussed out but they are SO GOOD!!!! I don't want to hear, "but it's not metal!!" cause it's so freaking good. Yes I agree with you, they shoulda changed their name but it's cool that they are still embodyment. Oh and don't…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by D_ListerEmbodyment fans BEWARE! Enjoyed the Embodyment Demos CD? Found some real comfort in the brutality that was Embrace the Eternal? Expect NOTHING like that here. Rather with this album Embodyment offers us nothing less than a full style change. From Metalcore to Emocore. Sure there are a couple of breakdowns that are nice, and once in awhile a song will break out into a hardcore piece, but the…Similar sounding releases
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2001Few Left StandingWormwoodMore from Embodyment
1994Corrosion of the Flesh
2001Hold Your Breath
1996Embodyment
19991993-1996
1998Embrace the Eternal
2002Songs for the Living
