Middle of the road, so-so, average, etc.
Justin Bean | Ann Arbor, MI | 06/12/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I had this album pegged two minutes into the first track. This is what I like to call a guilty pleasure. It does not disappoint in any direct fashion. One Man Army gives us some well-played, head-bangable thrash played like so many others have played it, but with a heavier, more grove-laden twist (which is the only `unique' aspect of this album). The album starts to falter about five tracks in when everything starts to sound the same. Nothing stands out, save for a catchy riff here or a notable drum fill there. Take The Haunted, Nightrage, At The Gates, Forsaken, or a hundred other melodic euro-thrash bands, half the tempo, beef up the mids, and you get this album. Like I said, it's a guilty pleasure. I enjoy driving with it blasting on the stereo, because it never fails to get my head moving (for a few songs, at least). This is the project of the singer from The Crown, the now defunct speed/thrash band that, while not doing anything new (seems to be a trend with these guys) at least were willing to up the ferocity and the edginess of their music. One Man Army, however, has taken the easy path and rehashed the already rehashed. The short and long of this album is that it's boring. It's catchy, it's well produced, it's well performed, but it's boring. I am as guilty as the next person for listening to 'unoriginal' bands but there comes a point when the music is so overdone, so trite and familiar, that I can't go without saying something (arguably 90% of today's metal bands have roots in a small handful of bands playing 10 years ago). If you really, really crave the melodic thrash, as I do, and you need a new band to fill the coffer, pick this up. Otherwise, keep investigating the back catalogues because there are definitely other bands you haven't heard that are doing the same thing better."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1