Fear My Thoughts
Vulcanus

June 2007
Released: 2007, Century Media Records
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

You have to appreciate the professionalism and drive of bands like Fear My Thoughts. See, the band have been slogging it out since 1999, beginning life as a hardcore-ish band, and, over the course of three albums and an e.p., maturing/morphing into a thoroughly kick ass melodic death metal band, complete with in vogue progressive elements cribbed from Opeth. Hell, the band has even joined the big leagues as a recent signing of the mighty Century Media Records.

Despite all that, I just can’t bring myself to love the band, or their latest album, VULCANUS. It’s true that, at times, the band absolutely slays (the main verse riff of “Blankness” gets me every time), but I just can’t shake the heard-it-all-before-ness the just pollutes and covers this album like smog. I mean, on the one hand, “Culture of Fear” is a forward-thinking song that perhaps expands the Opeth template, but on the other hand, a song like “Accompanied by Death” is strictly rote, paint-by-numbers melo-death.

I almost feel guilty about giving this album such an average score, but I just can’t bring myself to rate it any higher. Anyone who is a big fan of melodic death metal is definitely urged to seek out VULCANUS, but I just don’t have room for any more of this stuff in my collection.