The March is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Unearth. The album was released on October 14, 2008, through Metal Blade Records.[7] The album is a concept album and has a theme of "symbolizing both the evil and hopeful sides of humanity". This is also their sole album to feature drummer Derek Kerswill, who parted ways with the band in 2010.
| The March | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 14, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Metalcore | |||
| Length | 44:29 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Adam Dutkiewicz | |||
| Unearth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |    [1] |
| AbsolutePunk | 7.6/10[2] |
| Allmusic | [3] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 8/10[4] |
| Exclaim! | favorable[5] |
| PopMatters | 5/10[6] |
Album information
editThe album is a concept album as it represents both the evil and the hopeful sides of humanity. Lead singer Trevor Phipps discusses this idea:
The Evil: With the constant balancing act of power within government, religion and our financial institutions, there lies the chance of those most hungry for power to alter and restrict our freedoms for their gain. The Hopeful: This represents the faith in mankind as the most powerful force on the planet. If we come together and do not fight over religion, class and borders then we hold the key to a peaceful world. There are two possible futures in store; either a March of power and greed or a March of a unified human race.
— Trevor Phipps, [8]
The album was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage, who had also worked the band's previous albums, The Stings of Conscience and The Oncoming Storm.
A version "The Chosen" originally appeared on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters soundtrack.
The album art was designed by Sons of Nero.[9]
The album debuted at #45 on the Billboard Top 200 chart with first week sales of just under 11,000 copies.[10] Billboard later showed that "The March", as of early 2009, has sold over 100,000 units worldwide.
The song "Grave of Opportunity" is available as a free downloadable track for the popular console game Guitar Hero World Tour.
Also "We Are Not Anonymous" served as a downloadable content for the Rock Band series on the Rock Band Network Store for 160 Microsoft Points (Xbox Live)
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Trevor Phipps; all music is composed by Unearth
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Will Be Done" | 3:37 | |
| 2. | "Hail the Shrine" | 3:58 | |
| 3. | "Crow Killer" | 3:17 | |
| 4. | "Grave of Opportunity" | 3:53 | |
| 5. | "We Are Not Anonymous" | 3:04 | |
| 6. | "The March" | 3:29 | |
| 7. | "Cutman" | 3:12 | |
| 8. | "The Chosen" | 3:53 | |
| 9. | "Letting Go" | Phipps, Derek Kerswill | 4:43 |
| 10. | "Truth or Consequence" (4:10 in special edition) | Phipps, John Maggard | 11:15 |
| Total length: | 44:29 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Our Callous Skin" | 10:15 |
| Total length: | 54:44 | |
"Truth or Consequence" ends at 4:10, and "Our Callous Skin" fades at 3:12. Whichever song is the final track, after 30 seconds of silence, white noise can be heard, which then slowly fades in and becomes increasingly louder. After exactly two minutes, the white noise stops abruptly and a hidden track entitled "Silence Caught the Stubborn Tongue" begins, which continues, for the remainder of the album.
Special Edition Bonus DVD
editA "Special Edition" of the album (with slip cover) was released on Nov 10th, 2009. It includes a bonus DVD, which is over 80 minutes long. It contains 3 documentaries, 4 live videos, 3 official music videos, and 5 webisodes (originally streamed online during the album's recording). As a special promotion by Metal Blade Records, those who pre-ordered the album would receive an autographed copy (while supplies lasted).[11]
Bonus DVD contents
- The Documentaries
- "Making The March"
- "The Three Day March"
- "Gig Life" 2009
- The Videos
- – Live at Wacken 2008 -
- "This Glorious Nightmare
- "My Heart Bleeds No Longer"
- "Black Hearts Now Reign"
- "The Great Dividers"
- "My Will Be Done" (Music Video)
- "Grave Of Opportunity (Music Video)
- "Crowkiller" (Music Video)
- Webisodes
- Preproduction with Adam D (Part 1)
- Preproduction with Adam D (Part 2)
- Recording Guitars
- Recording Vocals
- Recording Back Up Vocals with Norma Jean
Personnel
editProduction and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[9]
Personnel
editUnearth
edit- Trevor Phipps – lead vocals
- Buz McGrath – lead guitar
- Ken Susi – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- John "Slo" Maggard – bass, backing vocals
- Derek Kerswill – drums
Additional musicians
edit- Cory Brandan (Norma Jean) – additional vocals on "Grave of Opportunity", "We are not Anonymous"
- Chris Day (Norma Jean) – additional vocals on "Grave of Opportunity", "We are not Anonymous"
- Scottie Henry (ex-Norma Jean) – additional vocals on "Grave of Opportunity", "We are not Anonymous"
- Jake Schultz (ex-Norma Jean) – additional vocals on "Grave of Opportunity", "We are not Anonymous"
- Pat O'Donnell – additional vocals on "Grave of Opportunity", "We are not Anonymous"
- Wes Pannell – additional vocals on "Grave of Opportunity", "We are not Anonymous"
Production
edit- Adam Dutkiewicz – production, engineering
- Jim Fogarty – assistant engineering for drum tracking
- Andy Sneap – mixing, mastering
- Sons of Nero – concept, layout
- Travis Smith – photo illustration
- Phill Mamula – photography
- Chris Kabata – live photography
Studios
edit- Zing Recording Studios, Westfield, MA – drums
- System Recordings, Grafton, MA – vocals, guitars, bass
- Backstage Recording Studios, UK – mixing, mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 106 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 45 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[14] | 4 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] | 3 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[16] | 16 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[17] | 11 |
References
edit- ^ Bowar, Chad. "Unearth – The March Review". heavymetal.about.com. About.com. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Beringer, Drew. "Unearth – The March – Album Review – AbsolutePunk.net". www.absolutepunk.net. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Prato, Greg. The March at AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Ogle, Ryan (15 December 2008). "CD Reviews – The March Unearth – Blabbermouth.net". www.blabbermouth.net. Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Synyard, Dave (November 2008). "Unearth – The March • Metal Reviews • exclaim.ca". exclaim.ca. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Savanadasa, Rajith (January 21, 2009). "Unearth: The March – PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ Unearth's "The March" Complete SMN News. Retrieved on July 31, 2008
- ^ UNEARTH: New Album Title, Track Listing Revealed - July 30, 2008 Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved on July 31, 2008
- ^ a b Sons of Nero: Unearth - The March Sons of Nero.com Retrieved on October 25, 2008
- ^ "UNEARTH: 'The March' First-Week Sales Revealed". blabbermouth.net. 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ "UNEARTH 'THE MARCH' SPECIAL EDITION". metalblade.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "アンアースのアルバム売上ランキング – ORICON STYLE".
- ^ "Unearth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Unearth Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Unearth Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Unearth Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Unearth Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.