Don't be surprised to find yourself checking the CD case a few times while
New Life Behind Closed Eyes is playing. You're not mistaken; it really does sound that much like
Machine Head. It's not just vocalist Billy Price's astonishing ability to imitate Robb Flynn. It's the guitar riffs, the rhythms, the whole package. Now, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it's been a path to relative success for a few bands in the past -- look at
Trivium's attempts to become
Metallica,
Static-X's construction of an entire career based around ripping off
Ministry's
The Land of Rape and Honey, or
Throwdown's shameless
Pantera-isms -- so it's hard to fault
Unholy for going down this road. And anyway, most of the album's ten tracks are damn good ones; this is
Unholy's third release, and they've developed an unmistakable ability to write roaring modern metal anthems sure to get mosh pits roiling and horns in the air. The band's got impressive instrumental skills, too -- lead guitarist Steve Caiello's shrieking solos arise phoenix-like out of Jonathan Dennison's crushing riffs and the rhythm section's steady pummeling. And
New Life Behind Closed Eyes is a pretty relentless record. The listener gets a semi-short break from Price's hectoring drill-instructor bark on the two-minute instrumental "No Faith," but "The Followers" comes next, one of the album's fastest, hardest tracks. By the time the title track fades the album out, most fans of modern American metal will have banged their heads well beyond the point of caring about the band's blatant style-copping. For their sake, let's hope the members of
Machine Head are as forgiving. ~ Phil Freeman