Album Review: Emmure - 'The Respect Issue'

28 July 2008 | 5:20 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

You’ve got to be fucking kidding…

More Emmure More Emmure

It’s not often I come across

a record that has absolutely nothing going for it. Even the worst releases

that I’ve have been sent my way have least earned points for quality

artwork (or something else that’s not actually the musical content),

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but The Respect Issue is, in the simplest of terms, a steaming

pile of shit. 


Now correct me if I’m wrong,

but a “breakdown” (at least in the world of hardcore and metal)

usually follows a tune’s faster passage so that it has some kind of

dynamic effect. Emmure clearly didn’t get the memo, because

their songs (I use the term loosely) are one mosh part after another,

with absolutely nothing separating the endless stream of near identical

riffs. It bothers me that so many talented bands fly under the music

buying public’s radar, yet a group as devoid of talent as Emmure are in a position to release records. 


I’m going to forgo my usual

track-by-track analysis of The Respect Issue, as the songs do

not contain the diversity to warrant such a lengthy explanation. The

un-trained ear could not separate the record’s first three numbers.

Whether it’s the slowly crawling tempo set by the drums or the monotonous

chugging of (both) the band’s guitarists, not one of these songs is

able to distinguish itself from the others. “False Love In Real Life”

almost fell into the same category as its predecessors, however it does

have a brief section that picks up the pace ever so slightly, until

of course Emmure have a crack at the record for the world’s

slowest and most painful to listen to breakdown. 


“Chicago’s Finest” is far

from being the most original piece of music you’re going to hear,

but it’s cleanly picked intro and melody friendly riffs are a welcome

change from the last ten minutes of boredom that I’ve had to suffer

through. I’m normally a fan of chugging, half time metalcore but the

beginner’s level guitar work and god damn awful lyrics had me reaching

for the stop button on more than one occasion, although “Rough Justice”

has some redeeming value courtesy of its European influenced guitar

work and screeching breakdown, the only other part of the record I enjoyed

was the instrumental “Dry Ice”.


Not many bands do this style of

music well and Emmure sure as hell isn’t one of them. Wait

another month and get yourself a copy of the new The Acacia Strain record. 


Oh yeah, the artwork is appalling! 


  1. Young, Rich, And Out

    Of Control

  2. Sound Wave Superior
  3. I Only Mean Half Of

    What I Don’t Say

  4. False Love In Real

    Life

  5. Chicago’s Finest
  6. Tales From The Burg