AlbumsNovember 29, 20117,896 views

Sulaco Tearing Through The Roots


Tearing Through The Roots
01. Middle Man 02. Pointing Out The Obvious 03. Summon The Hammer 04. An Eye In Every Window 05. Brunt Of The Joke MP3 06. Sticks In My Craw 07. Winning The Race 08. The Lone Chime 09. Model Of Inefficiency 10. Full Of Holes 11. Bupkus 12. Magee (bonus track) 13. Hidden Agenda (bonus track)
2006 Willowtip Records
Our score 5

by Cory
9/27/2006

Being a fan of Lethargy (and to a degree Kalibas), I was pretty amped to hear Sulaco's debut album Tearing Through The Roots. Perhaps it's the fact that I've been inundated with techinically-obsessed metal lately, but I just wasn't particularly blown away by this release. For all their talk about "the groove," there's just too far little songcraft and innovation here for the band's good. Unfortunately for frontman Erik Burke, his pedigree can only get him so far with me and Sulaco's music just doesn't push him much farther. Pretty much everything that's happening on this record is something I've heard before and most of it wasn't that impressive to begin with. From the Mastodon-esque stomp of "Pointing Out The Obvious" to its overly schizophrenic follow-up "Summon The Hammer," Sulaco doesn't seem to have established a strong identity of their own just yet. Some segments could pass for melodic death metal and others for Calculating Infinity b-sides. While I understand that Burke's creative vision with Lethargy didn't predate the rise of these styles, his current work with Sulaco sadly doesn't display a similarly progressive slant. Instead, Sulaco's Tearing Through The Roots plays out as a muddy-sounding retread of the last five years of metal, jumbled together in an aesthetically bland way. For example, "Sticks In My Craw" sounded like being trapped in Guitar Center with a dozen metalheads each taking turns playing a completely different lead. There's just precious little glue holding most of these songs together and it becomes too taxing a listen to be worth the minimal rewards. Even the disc's art and booklet design aren't worth trying to navigate, as the poorly chosen print style and color makes the lyrics sheet and back cover difficult to read. Fans of the band will be happy to know that the disc does contain two bonus tracks, both of which were featured on the band's vinyl-only split with Soilent Green released earlier this year. I found these slightly simpler tracks to be a bit more enjoyable than most of the album tracks, so hopefully the band revisits something like "Magee" in the future. Bottom Line: While it's true that Sulaco's full-length debut didn't blow my mind, it also didn't offend my sensibilities. There's enough talent to make this disc passable, just not much more. I wouldn't be surprised if Sulaco developed into something fantastic in a short period of time, but Tearing Through The Roots just isn't there yet.

14 comments

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jerseyislame_ 9/27/2006 4:48:20 PM

no

strongereveryday_ 9/27/2006 4:50:55 PM

first to say "first post"

toemosdapfunk_ 9/27/2006 4:52:32 PM

I've read many online reviews on this album, and they all gave out extremely high scores for this album. This is the only review i've come across that gave this album a low-scored review. I've had this cd spinning since I got the pre-order for it in august, it is really good shit. I cant agree more with the final statement at metalreview.com for this album, " I really can’t find any flaws here, other than it almost being too much of a great thing."

truthsayer_ 9/27/2006 4:59:44 PM

I agree with a lot of points in this review - I can hear the level of talent and complexity in this album, but it just hasn't clicked with me yet. Someone on the board called it a "riff vortex," which I think just about sums it up. Still, I think it deserves at least a 6 or a 7.

mefuckyeah_ 9/27/2006 5:30:36 PM

Yeah this cd sucked, bad willowtip.....bad!!!!

haha_ 9/27/2006 6:21:51 PM

holy shit cory you suck so much

anonymous 9/27/2006 6:24:34 PM

Gonna have to disagree with you soldier. From what I've heard this has better production and drumming than the ep...and just as excellent songwriting. And a "riff vortex" is no bad thing. Eric Burke-thumbs up.

stalin_ 9/27/2006 8:17:31 PM

KALIBAS was f*cking AWESOME! Sulaco is good but will never compare. Kalibas and Creation is Crucifixion was the best tour ever! This album is terrific. Hooray Willowtip, once again.

xomertax_ 9/28/2006 1:22:02 AM

"technical" metal is becoming even more played out than "swedish" riffs.

ghetto_paul_ 9/28/2006 11:13:18 AM

this album is not spectacular, but still pretty solid. it's been done before, but then again Sualco does it pretty well. deserves better than a 5/10.

smokeoutloud_ 9/28/2006 12:45:49 PM

Riff-Vortex sounds f'in great to me, more noise, and more loudness. fvck, the mp3 sounds great, it's everything those shitty bands like BTBAM do but its way-TIGHT!!

Crif_ 9/28/2006 9:57:06 PM

Thanks for taking the time Cory. If you ask me, this band sucks donkey scrotum!

Some dude with attitude._ 9/29/2006 5:05:57 PM

Sulaco kicks ass. I can't wait to hear the whole thing. Where's my CD? Lon? Burke? I know you guys are reading this. See you Nov. 4th bitches.

Alex_ 10/7/2006 4:26:04 PM

Cory, you suck balls, if you don't understand the greatness of the last Sulaco. Kids, it's a 11/10 album, don't read Lambgoat's crappy review.