Slave to the Game

by Emmure

Overview

Prolific East coast metalcore purveyors Emmure follow up on 2011's Speaker of the Dead with their fifth full-length, Slave to the Game. Joey Sturgis (the Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack!) reprises his role as producer but slight changes arrive on the band front as Mark Castillo (Crossfade) joins the group as drummer. Despite the lineup change, the core of Emmure is consistent, delivering 12 mosh-ready tracks of bruising breakdowns and snarling vocals. The gaming theme hinted at in the album art and title inspires "Insert Coin," an intro track comprised of the sound of footsteps leading into an arcade and quarters being dropped into a machine, revisited later in the record on "Poltergeist," an electronic interlude that juxtaposes spoken word prayers against demonic screams and leads into "Cross Over Attack," which uses video game-themed lyrics to suggest salvation ("You will be saved/Don't let the system bring you down"). Lead-off single "Protoman" mixes up the guitar chug with some dissonant chords, while "I Am Onslaught" showcases a more sludgy, Deftones-esque approach. Slave to the Game also finds Emmure exploring their more experimental side, as "Umar Dumps Dormammu" slows down the tempo and employs electronics and samples to drive the melody. But fans of the band's more straightforward sounds will best connect with "Bison Diaries," driven by guitar squeals and anguished screams that hearken back to their earlier releases, and the grinding, revenge-themed "War Begins with You." Overall, with Slave to the Game, Emmure shows some hints of evolution since Speaker of the Dead but mostly sticks to what they know, which will please fans but probably not make any converts of new listeners. ~ Chrysta Cherrie

Product Details

Release Date:	04/10/2012
Label:	Victory Records
UPC:	0746105067424

Tracks

1. Insert Coin
2. Protoman
3. She Gave Her Heart to Deadpool
4. I Am Onslaught
5. Bison Diaries
6. Poltergeist
7. Cross Over Attack
8. Umar Dumps Dormammu
9. Blackheart Reigns
10. MDMA
11. War Begins with You
12. A.I.

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Emmure   Primary Artist
Tommy Green   Vocals
Mike Mulholland   Guitar
Mark Davis   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Jesse Ketive   Guitar
Frank Palmeri   Vocals
Mark Castillo   Drums

Technical Credits

Allan Kessler   Recording
Mark Castillo   Group Member,Composer
Allan Hessler   Engineer
Eric Richter   Photography
Emmure   Producer
Double J   Photography,Art Direction
Shawn Keith   Producer,Management,Vocal Producer,Executive Producer
Joey Sturgis   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mastering,Recording,Mastering Engineer,Recording Producer
Mike Mulholland   Composer,Group Member
Daniel McBride   Artwork
Mark Davis   Composer,Group Member
Ash Avildsen   Producer,Vocal Producer,Executive Producer
Jesse Ketive   Composer,Group Member
Frank Palmeri   Composer,Producer,Group Member,Art Direction,Vocal Producer,Assistant Producer
Nick Walters   Producer,Vocal Producer
Marco Walzel   Booking
Amanda Fiore   Booking
Jeff Dunne   Editing
Robert Scheuerman   Photography
Dustin Smith   Photography