Arson

Let’s get the bad out of the way first. Even by the standards of metal, the lyrics here are unbelievably stupid. On the last track--the regrettably-named “Manifesto”--the vocalist sings with excruciating earnestness: “I had a revelation I was told a lie. Live to consume, work to buy and then die.” Were these lyrics stolen from a fourteen-year-old’s diary?

Fortunately, on most of the other tracks, the vocalist’s words are incomprehensible and can be ignored. Instead, listen to the guitar. The guitar is the star of this album: sometimes virtuosic, often impactful. The best moments on this album happen when the guitar takes center stage. “Stillborn,” for example, trudges through a couple of uninspired minutes before the guitar injects a huge burst of energy. Later in the track, just when the intense tone is starting to get monotonous, the guitar leads us into a new, contemplative phase.

The most engaging track is probably “Fire, Walk With Me,” in which the guitar is in control the whole time. The guitar and the vocalist actually play off each other really well here, with the vocalist adding some intensity on top of the guitar tremolo. I listened to this track for the first time while I was driving through Death Valley, which gives it some special significance for me. I can’t imagine a better song for that landscape.