Full Blown Chaos - Heavy Lies the Crown
Ferret Records - F084 - 21st August 2007
By Paddy Walsh
A glance at the above artwork may indicate that Full Blown Chaos are some kind of European power metal act, but they are in fact metallic hardcore group from New York. Heavy Lies the Crown is their sophomore long player, and is a slice of competent but ultimately generic metalcore. Opener 'Firefight' gets things off to a bruising start, all thrashed-up riffs and vocals that alternate between hardcore shouts and thrash growls. Unlike many of their metalcore contemporaries, Full Blown Chaos eschew the At The Gates worship in favour of Bay Area style thrash, and there's a distinct Exodus flavour to much of their riffing. Elsewhere, the band employ the modern, Hatebreed template for metallic hardcore - attempting to combine the shouty, breakdown-laden aspects of NYHC with the speed and all-out pummel of modern metal.
Heavy Lies the Crown is by no means a shoddy record - fans of Hatebreed and their ilk will no doubt find much to get their teeth into - but there is an unfortunate element of clinicalness to proceedings, with vocalist Ray Mazzola never really straying from the well-worn hardcore vocalist aesthetic. Furthermore, there is little variation music-wise, most of the songs seeming to blend into one another in want of a bit individuality. The only real exception is 'Mojave Red Pt. 1', which recalls Metallica's 'Orion' by being based upon an excellent lead guitar. Tellingly the aforementioned track is instrumental, and 'Pt.2' thus disappoints when it reverts to the familiar blueprint found throughout this record. Full Blown Chaos are by no means a bad band, but one who would do well to try to lift themselves above a subgenre that has become tired both within the metal and hardcore scenes.
Official Full Blown Chaos Website
Official Ferret Records Website
Ferret Records - F084 - 21st August 2007
By Paddy Walsh
A glance at the above artwork may indicate that Full Blown Chaos are some kind of European power metal act, but they are in fact metallic hardcore group from New York. Heavy Lies the Crown is their sophomore long player, and is a slice of competent but ultimately generic metalcore. Opener 'Firefight' gets things off to a bruising start, all thrashed-up riffs and vocals that alternate between hardcore shouts and thrash growls. Unlike many of their metalcore contemporaries, Full Blown Chaos eschew the At The Gates worship in favour of Bay Area style thrash, and there's a distinct Exodus flavour to much of their riffing. Elsewhere, the band employ the modern, Hatebreed template for metallic hardcore - attempting to combine the shouty, breakdown-laden aspects of NYHC with the speed and all-out pummel of modern metal.
Heavy Lies the Crown is by no means a shoddy record - fans of Hatebreed and their ilk will no doubt find much to get their teeth into - but there is an unfortunate element of clinicalness to proceedings, with vocalist Ray Mazzola never really straying from the well-worn hardcore vocalist aesthetic. Furthermore, there is little variation music-wise, most of the songs seeming to blend into one another in want of a bit individuality. The only real exception is 'Mojave Red Pt. 1', which recalls Metallica's 'Orion' by being based upon an excellent lead guitar. Tellingly the aforementioned track is instrumental, and 'Pt.2' thus disappoints when it reverts to the familiar blueprint found throughout this record. Full Blown Chaos are by no means a bad band, but one who would do well to try to lift themselves above a subgenre that has become tired both within the metal and hardcore scenes.
Official Full Blown Chaos Website
Official Ferret Records Website
