Emmure: Eternal Enemies review

When it comes to raw anger and pure emotion, few people out there can hold a candle to Emmure frontman and mastermind Frankie Palmeri. It’s unclear why he is so pissed off, but his hatred towards others and humanity in general comes through once again on the band’s newest endeavor for Victory Records, Eternal Enemies. It’s their sixth studio album and was produced by Joey Sturgis. Since the band’s inception in 2003, Palmeri has always been very outspoken about things he was upset about, using the band’s no holds barred musical approach as the perfect avenue to vent his disgust and frustration with the world. Eternal Enimies is no exception but it is so much more than the sum of its anger ridden parts. The album stands on its own merit and goes to prove that, love him or hate him, there is no denying his ability to turn out killer melodic hardcore. Never one to shy away from controversy or confrontation, opener “Bring A Gun To School” is immediately offensive. It is unsettling and brilliant at the same time, leaving you unsure if it’s ok to like it as much as you do. On the other hand, the mixture of clean and death growl vocals on “Nemesis” adds depth of sound and layers of melody to the ensuing musical pandemonium. The unadulterated savagery of “News In Arizona” is an aural assault that blurs the lines between rap and nu-metal while “The Hang Up” follows the metal template of the first two KoRn albums, paying tribute both musically and vocally to their hallowed legacy. At the same time “A Gift A Curse” features carnivorous riffs, so scorching they could spontaneously combust and follows the time honored metal traditions set forth by the almighty Sepultura. Simply titled “E” has a chugging, primordial riff that could be mistaken for the Sevendust’s “Rumble Fish” and a vocal attack that takes a page from the Jonathan Davis playbook. While the belligerent heaviness of tracks such as “Like LaMotta” and “New Age Rambler” are so brutal they will crush your soul to dust. “Free Publicity” is a bone crushing wall of sound that pushes the sonic envelope by being remorselessly heavy and the aptly titled “Most Hated” is a giant fuck you to all Emmure’s haters that is an unapologetic challenge to a physical throwdown. The acrid noise and gargantuan riffs of “Girls Don’t Like Boys, Girls Like 40’s & Blunts” proves that while all glorious things must inevitably come to an end, at least we know they saved the very best for last. Here’s the bottom line- Despite Frankie Palmeri’s legendary bad attitude, this is a flawlessly crafted piece of melodic hardcore, from one of the most misunderstood and overlooked bands in metal today. Rating: A very solid and even more pissed off 9 out of 10. -Eric Hunker