CoC : Phoenix Mourning - When Excuses Become Antiques : Review

Phoenix Mourning - _When Excuses Become Antiques_
(Metal Blade, 2006)
by: Jackie Smit (3 out of 10)

My, my -- things have certainly changed in Tampa since the glory days of Obituary, Deicide and Morbid Angel. With Metal Blade bragging that Phoenix Mourning have become MySpace favourites and "look forward to meeting many new people in every city they go to", you'd get the impression that not even the PR folk at the label are at a loss for words over this band, and with good reason. Despite an impressive, old-school production job, _When Excuses Become Antiques_ is bog-standard nu-core, interspersing melodic death metal guitar lines with the usual blend of angst-fueled screaming vocals, and put-upon, oh-so-sensitive clean singing. It's been done a thousand different times, by a thousand different bands, and it has rarely been worth five minutes of anyone's time. Phoenix Mourning, despite what I'm sure are the best of intentions, does nought to buck this trend.

Contact: http://www.phoenixmourning.com

(article published 18/4/2006)