Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 01/15/2008
Pittsburgh's
Once Nothing describe themselves as "blue-collar
metal," but in fact, the group blends
post-hardcore and
alternative CCM with their
metal for a sound that's fairly far removed from the
Bon Jovi vibe one might expect from that self-definition. In fact, the
hardcore strain is the strongest in these 12 songs, with only the semi-acoustic power ballad
"My Sweet Medusa" and the album-ending instrumental
"And Then Came Grace" moving away from the blastbeat drumming and unison riffage one expects from the style. Lyrically, the band tends to the aggressive and mildly reactionary, as titles like
"Gunfire Is the Sound of Freedom" and
"All My Heroes Are Cowboys" attest. Almost by definition, listeners have to be fans of at least two of the three main elements of the album --
metal,
hardcore and
CCM -- to get behind
First Came the Law, and only those who hit the trifecta will really love it.
~Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
;)
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