Lament Configuration

December | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 19, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Earache Records
• ASIN: B000060ONC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,985 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars coarse sandpaper for the ears, May 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lament Configuration (Audio CD)

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this album what with Earache trying so hard to get it noticed. Hype be damned for this album is just as good, if not considerably better, then all the talk surrounding it. December play a sort of noisecore (I guess the most popular term for it) but with a lot more metal in the mix then say Maharahj or Converge. I'm a metalhead first and foremost before being a fan of hardcore and that might be part of the reason I love this album so much is because it falls more in line with three of my favorite groups as of late who also fool around with a more metal based noisecore sound, namely Lamb of God, Dim Mak and The Red Chord. When you listen to this album you'll notice the production for both in how effectively it conveys the absolutly devestating power this band puts out and that it's fairly unique as far as a typical production might sound for this sort of band. In much the same way as Lamb of God reaped nothing but benefits from the pairing of their demonic sound with Austin's production talents, December are gifted with Townsend (my favorite artist ever so a little personal bias comes into play here) at the helm who made damn sure that every bone liquifying element of this band was captured for you to hear.

The music itself stands out for their unique ability to write songs! Take that with a grain of salt if you will but there are more then enough metalcore bands who can add technicality to the music till its oozing off the cd itself and yet fail in the aspect of combining that skill and chaotic riffage into a memorable song. For one December don't always feel the need to be playing riffs that are near impossible to transcribe and they know exactly when to throw in a little 4/4 style chugga-chugga riff to build tension and contrast the insanity. The musicians themselves should be given a mention as well. The guitarist, bassist and drummer show the signs of having been playing together for a while because they are extremely tight in the nature of Meshuggah. Their vocalist Mark has a growl that I feel only finds an equal in Lamb of God's singer Randy with both his diversity and the fact that he can actually do it without his vocal chords disintigrating from the massive abuse he puts them through. Hear him once and you'll understand.

Noisecore fans and especially fans of bands like Lamb of God, Dim Mak, The Red Chord, Cataract, God Forbid and similar bands will find a lot to like here as these guys might possibly be the best of all of em. Absolutly incredible

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please share the word about this CD!, October 13, 2004

By 

Andre Guerreiro "byo" (Brasil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lament Configuration (Audio CD)

This band is amazing!!! The singer is one of the best and so is the rest of the band. There are some grindcore moments which are terrifying. Very impressive. Notice how great it sounds when the singer starts singing on track 3 : Waiting For Rain. It's just unexpected! It should give you a fair impression of what this band has to offer that is so different from the other bands.

A mix of metalcore + grind + mathcore + slow paced death metal! Extreme brutality! A nice range of vocal styles and oddly complex tempo signatures complete each other, sometimes with brief bursts of pure grindcore at its full speed.

This is one of those bands which show that diversity and creativity don't need to be side by side with too many breakdowns and slow parts for it to work. Those who love grindcore, Napalm Death or any extreme metal band that shows originality in middle of noise madness this is for you.

Please, give it a try! :)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Earache is making a comeback., March 18, 2002

By 

Kerry Ledbetter "kerryzmatic" (Silvis, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lament Configuration (Audio CD)

I have heard for years that Earache just wasn't the label they used to be, but that all seems to be changing lately. They've signed some very interesting acts in the last few years. While not necessarily being the type of bands that will totally blow you away, they are the type of bands that will get your attention and keep it for a very long time. This is where December steps in.

This is actually their third release, but their first for Earache. Their previous experience shows through with some well-written, straight forward songs. They have their own distinct flavor of noise that I'm sure most people would appreciate. Basically, picture Dillinger Escape Plan with less algebra and more groove and you have December. These guys take that noise core sound and write some cohesive songs that focus on a good groove rather than on trying to sound like a calculus problem set to music. It works rather well, too.

Devin Townsend's production touch can be felt here, but it isn't as thickly layered as most of his work. In fact, if I hadn't been told Devin was involved, I'd have never guessed it. The vocals are pretty intense with some good, hot distortion giving them a blackened feel. The guitar and bass are fairly thick and sound good, though the layered guitar is still basically only doing one main line.

My only problem with December is that I just can't tell if I'll still be listening to this album in another month or not. Where this sound in general works wonders for bands who play highly complex songs (so you can follow them), I'm not sure if it works for a band who focuses on simpler song structures (where you really don't need that help). Seems to me that they would be far more intense if they had another guitarist or at least recorded like they did.

That's really the only gripe I have and I only make a big deal out of it because this band has so much potential. Still, I keep listening, so they must be doing something right - and that's really all that matters.