CONDUCTING INTERNET FLAME WARS FROM THE GRAVE

About a month ago I asked what you all thought of Conducting From the Grave. The comments predictably descended into mongoloid Internet troll territory instantaneously, with some folks instantly brushing the band aside as part of a certain genre, others defending them, the former accusing the latter of being members of the band posting anonymously, and a whole lot of childish name-calling from all sides. Sheesh, people, can’t we keep some level of civility around here? [at least for posts not written by Sergeant D??]

Now it’s my turn. I hate to be “that guy,” but I liked their old album a lot more than what I’ve heard from the new one. Where When Legends Become Dust had a quirky sense of melody and technicality that was uniquely identifiable to Conducting From the Grave, new album Revenants sounds like any number of unsigned bands that send us material on a daily basis. The melodies are less unique, the song structures predictable, and the band seems to be bowing to the pressure of the Sumeriancore / deathcore / melodic tech-death genre tropes that their peers are following. It’s too bad because this was a band with a unique voice that I really thought could take it to the next level. Of course, I’ve only heard the two Revenants songs posted on the band’s MySpace page; maybe they’re most mainstream-y sounding songs on the album and I’m being too quick to pass judgment.

Tell me why I’m right / wrong / close-minded / condescending for expecting our readers to use the site’s “search” function in the comments below.

-VN