Define Strength is a thoroughly enjoyable album, especially for an artist just arriving on the hardcore scene. My head alternated bobbing and banging throughout.
Unfisted's bass (Jesse Bellar) alternates between giving friendly support to shredding guitars (Ernie Martinez) and providing its own driving groove. They've got two vocal themes scrambling through the tracks and weaving around each other like DNA--one gravelly punk (Micah Bellar) and one P.O.D.-style screamer (again Bellar). Drums (Eric Martinez) are solid but too low in the mix to make a memorable contribution, especially for a band with some progressive aspirations.
Several songs, especially the opening title-track and "Embrace," reminded me of a less complicated version of Traindodge, with their clever time signature and style changes mid-tune. These two tracks highlight Define Strength along with the apparently Stavesacre-influenced emo-metal groover "Sometimes I Wish."
Sometimes I wish more bands rocked as hard as Unfisted. They are rising stars in neo-hardcore-prog-metal or whatever label you want to try to put on this most excellent band.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #96Reviewed by Earl CampbellJason Milburn's Burning Records recently released what is arguably their best record to date. The very strong 9-song LP by Unfisted, Define Strength, features guitar driven, crunchy emocore. And their sound is beneficially much more akin to bands like Hot Water Music, Fugazi, early Brandtson, and the Crucified than, say, Thursday, Dead Poetic, or any of that really processed stuff of late. Very…Decapolis March 2002Reviewed by Nate BaileyUnfisted is from Florida and has played at Warped Tour. They have released their second album, "Define Strength" on Burning Records. Unfisted uses this release in an attempt to search for the new hard rock sound (Incubus, Creed etc), only they use more screaming. "Define Strength" is plagued with problems. The vocalist fights a losing battle against singing flat and the tempo of the songs is very…Similar sounding releases
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