CoC : Twelve Tribes - The Rebirth of Tragedy : Review

Twelve Tribes - _The Rebirth of Tragedy_
(Roadrunner, 2004)
by: Xander Hoose (7.5 out of 10)

Judging by the large number of bands suddenly mixing Swedish death with hardcore, I guess I can safely say this style is the next big thing now that black metal has gone underground again. Unfortunately, like ever before, labels seem to be prone to signing any band knocking on their door as long as they fit the genre -- quality is too often disregarded. Thankfully, Twelve Tribes don't fall into that category. A little more relaxed than genremates Killswitch Engage, on _The Rebirth of Tragedy_ they provide a good example of how different aggressive styles can be blended into ten good songs. Even though the process doesn't always work out as well as you would hope, there is a lot to be said for _TRoT_: just check out the groove at the end of "Baboon Music", the insane riffs in "Venus Complex" and "Godshaped War", or the nu-metal-ish "Chroma". The things that work against the album are the (sporadic) clean vocal and rap-parts (especially in "Luma") and its running time -- 45 minutes is a bit long considering some of the songs sound a lot similar. Nonetheless, _The Rebirth of Tragedy_ is a great album that is heartily recommended to fans of Chimaira and Killswitch Engage.

Contact: http://www.twelvetribesmusic.com

(article published 16/6/2004)