The Classic Struggle - Feel Like Hell - 2005 - Metal Blade
Track Listing
1. 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
About this Writer: Eric Compton // Eric Compton lives in the most haunted city in the world, St. Augustine, Florida with his family and two yorkies. He has contributed to MaximumMetal.com since it's conception in 2003. His reviews, interviews and social commentary has been featured on websites like Brave Words, Blabbermouth, Metal Temple, Metal Rules, Ultimate Metal, Metal Maniacs and Wikipedia. You can also find him on his paperbackwarrior.com blog discussing all things action and adventure.
Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Click for Full Details