Condemned

Mix two parts aggression, one part melody and you've got the winning combination behind Condemned's four song EP. Their music caters to the fans of 70s style metal with its clever solos, dark tonalities and versatile features. Condemned is confident that whether you're ready to thrash or just sit back and soak up the sound, you'll be impressed.
Strengths
With monstrous growls and low rumbles, Jorge brings a compelling intensity to the soundscape. He has the capacity to deliver a raspy roar (like in "Lies & Deceit") but also to lull into a dreamlike chant (like in "When Death Arrives"). Guitarist Nelson Filipe and Bassist Jeff Silviera show their skills at intertwining old school metal licks with a full-bodied, modern sound. You can expect more solos than your average 2005 rock band but it's a welcomed melodic journey in the midst of heavy aggression. Marco Onorato drums hard and heavy to keep audiences in a frenzy of emotion.

Weaknesses
Understandably recording a full-length album is a costly endeavor, but true Condemned fans have been waiting three years for the band to squeeze out this EP. They don't play out enough to satisfy the manic mind. Patience is a virtue but certainly not a reality in the Metal world. However, the quality is very clear and professional, the songs killer, so it seems that this EP is a solid representation of good things to come.

You might like if you're a fan of:
Metallica. Pantera. Iron Maiden. Black Sabbath. Lamb of God. Alice In Chains. Black Label Society. Baroque. Slayer.

Favorite Track: When Death Arrives (4)

Rating: 4.0/5.0
Jennn's CD Index:
1 - I'll give you $10 if you can make it through the whole CD
2 - I'm not a fan, but someone might like it somewhere
3 - There are a couple offbeat tracks but it's 90% ROCKIN
4 - This CD rocks my world in its entirety. Buy or die.
5 - Go see them live, support them, join the cult.
- blogto.com

I'm under the opinion that Saturdays should always be rowdy. You've worked hard for it. You've pinched every penny all week. You probably won't be making it to 10am mass Sunday morning any ways. This particular Saturday was a wicked one, yet for some reason the crowd was stagnant as a pale green scum-pond. There was no lack of passion coming from promoters or bands... so... I blame it on the $6 drink price. People simply weren't drunk enough to lose their inhibitions and throw themselves around like rag dolls of habit. "Well, there WERE a few crazy emo kids," my friend John reminded. "They were just flying around the pit like 'Aghhhh I Hate My Dad!!!' ... It was awesome!"When my sister and I first arrived, I realized we were in the midst of that MTV Show Headbangers Ball circa 1986. A whirlwind of hair three times' the length of mine whipped around front and center stage with fervent intensity. "And they said Metal was dead," my sister joked.

Since my EP review, I was interested to catch Condemned live. "I'm glad you came," singer Jorge admits, "because the Condemned you're going to see tonight is totally different than the Condemned you listened to at home. That was us 9 months ago but we've evolved since then and after this we'll be taking a break to really work on finishing our full length." I wasn't prepared for the heavy twist that set them into a category closer to Intensify and Dropnote, rather than Baroque or even Pantera. Their stuff is harder, faster and more intense, if you can even imagine. I have never heard so many false endings to a song before! "We really try to take the crowds expectations and warp them," Jorge adds.

Overall, it was a night to write home about.
- blogto.com