Reviewed by Dylan Raine

Artist: Dr. Acula
Album: Nation
Label: Victory Records
Release Date: 19 June 2012

1. Be Careful What You Wish For
2. Heavy
3. Keep on Running in Place
4. The Party Is Over (Locked On Target)
5. Ironic Enclosure
6. Dressed For Transylvania in the Boiling Weather
7. Nation
8. Robot People from Hell
9. Suburban Superstar (Strung Out On Strong Island)
10. Areola 51
11. Citizen’s Arrest
12. Thinner

Founded in 2005, this American Metal-core band from New York had to date previously released 4 studio albums and 2 EP’s with ‘Nation’ being their fifth instalment to the ever progressing style that is Metalcore. With many different musical backgrounds in grindcore, hardcore, metal and hip-hop, Dr. Acula are hoping to tread new waters with sound and direction.

Using film clips and samples as a standard setting is nothing new on this market as many metal bands have done this for years; yet combining growls with high speed rhythms within each other is pretty interesting in places. Musically track to track you are given blasts of Metal in its rawest form, then into blast beats and gallops before melodies take over and sweep you from under your feet.

With the dual vocalists they really have opened up many vocal combinations that couldn’t have been done anywhere else like that in ‘Keep On Running In Place’ and ‘Dressed For Transylvania In The Boiling Weather’ however with all the other things going on behind the vocals there really is that feeling of distraction looming over me as everything sounds like everything else.

The tracks are short and sweet and straight to the point like most of the “core” type metal bands do these days, yet as for definition, I’m not really hearing anything special or new here other than the radio type edits and sequences. Onto the intro’s of ‘Robot People From Hell’, ‘Suburban Superstar (Strung Out On Strong Island)’ and ‘Areola 51’ during the first 8-10 seconds you could actually be listening to the same track as they all sound very similar to each other. This repetitive state of being is becoming an annoyance in music today and just shows how unimaginative bands are becoming with technology taking over a huge part of the improvisational aspects of writing.

All in all there is really nothing I haven’t heard before everywhere else, and yet you do almost feel compelled to listen on hoping that something more happens.

In terms of Metalcore, I am inclined to say Dr. Acula are becoming one of the better bands out there and if you really cannot live without any of the “Cores” then this will be right up your alley.

6/10

https://www.facebook.com/Dr.AculaBAND

http://myspace.com/dapartygrind

http://youtube.com/draculabandny

Lineup:

Tyler Guida – Vocals
Casey Carrano – Vocals
Bill Graffeo – Lead Guitar
Kevin Graffeo– Bass
Jesse Ciappa – Drums
Ricky Ostolaza – Rhythm guitar