Maximum Metal Rating Legend

The Classic Struggle - Feel Like Hell - 2005 - Metal Blade

Track Listing1. Death March 2. Feel Like Hell 3. From These Days 4. Amen To Artillery 5. The Forgotten End 6. Unsacred 7. Burn The Fallen 8. Storm Of Swords 9. Sworn Alliance 10. It's Not About Breaking Hearts... 11. Claim Your Own 12.Take Aim

Wow, I never would have guessed that The Classic Struggle would be based out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. What an odd place for something this dark and sinister. Nevertheless, the band show up in full swing wearing their hate gear, unleashing on the free world a solid album that lives by paint by numbers metalcore. That isn't really a bad thing, as their debut album "Feel Like Hell" is the perfect metal core record, filled with solos, breakdowns, guttural growls, and of course blast beats on blast beats. The end result is another solid entry in what has become Metal Blade's new roster lifestyle.

The Classic Struggle is a band that really could be on the same page as bands like Unearth and Watch Them Die. I can hear a bit of Mantas and Pro-Pain in their down-tuned guitar scrapings, most evident on tracks like "The Forgotten End" and "Burn The Fallen". The winning formula here is of course huge, grinding grooves that build into faster tempos and of course the unexpected timing change. The album highlights for me include the choppy "Storm Of Swords" and the melody flirtations on "Amen To Artillery".



--EC 1.12.06