Scar The Martyr - Scar The Martyr
Slipknot's Joey Jordison is back with yet another side project; this one is called Scar The Martyr and this is their self-titled debut album.
Jordison claims he wanted to create material that worked on a more intellectual level while keeping the integrity of Slipknot; he enlisted the help of some notable musicians to help him on this plight. Scar The Martyr's line-up includes Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Chris Vrenna, Strapping Young Lad's Jed Simon and Darkest Hour's Kris Norris. Interestingly, Jordison decided that he would play both drums and bass for this band, handing the vocal duties over to a relative newcomer; Henry Derek Bonner.
Unsurprisingly, Scar The Martyr is dark, haunting and moody but somehow incredibly likeable, maybe because it is somehow familiar, for example; Flatline & Fracture could have been lifted straight from Slipknot's back catalogue.
Scar The Martyr contains riffs aplenty and the use of keyboards adds depth to the well constructed tracks. Most of the tracks on the album are on the long side; Last Night On Earth rolls in at 8:31, and while that is standard for most metal genres, the tracks on here do seem to drag, hanging around a little longer than wanted. You cannot help but think Scar The Martyr would have benefitted from being a little more punchy and concise.
Scar The Martyr is bound to be a hit with Jordison's massive fan base as the album has a very Slipknot-esque feel and there are some extremely impressive guitar solos scattered amongst the album to keep the non-Slipknot fans entertained.
Overall, Scar The Martyr is an impressive album but it is a shame that the band did not find their own musical identity, especially given the caliber of musicians in the line-up. Here's hoping Scar The Martyr are around long enough to step out of Slipknot's shadow and find their own sound.