One Dead Three Wounded

One Dead Three Wounded don't do things entirely different on Moving Units, a metalcore effort similarly fierce and comparably aggressive to their last effort, Paint the Town (recently reissued by 1x1 Music). The band is still combining metal and hardcore in ways that are much more ambitious and enjoyable and less cheesy than most of their peers fitting that description, while they add a Southern rock flair that makes them easy targets for favorable comparisons to Every Time I Die.

Really, there are only 2 noticeable differences between the two full-lengths. One is a bit of repetition in the songs, which makes things slightly catchier this time around, if not a little irritating and cheesy since said repetitions tend to involve the song title (the first two tracks, "Planning Obsolescence" and "Blackholes," paint a perfect example of this). The other is some more traditional metal influence in the guitars -- for some odd reason, I often get a huge Darkest Hour vibe from them, and that's something that never popped up on Paint the Town. There's even a subtle squeal in the title track -- and thank fucking God it's subtle, as certain bands overuse the shit out of them beyond just excess and into pure annoyance. There's double bass, too (hello "Soldiers" [1 of 2 bonus tracks from the Paint reissue]), but it isn't overpowering either, luckily.

Lyrically there's a little bit of bite too to match the musical moods. The aforementioned title track is a little swipe at the industry, asking if their screaming vocalist "[sounds] sincere on compact disc" and declaring "if you ain't moving units as fast of the rest of them, this noise won't get far," while "you ask how the fuck do our hearts beat so long untouched" ("Cardia," the other bonus from Paint) should be relatable for some.

Fans of the aforementioned should find a fair bit to like about Moving Units, while the band's own fanbase should be able to digest the changes, as they're quiet enough to lure them in once again.

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Blackholes
Cold Wars