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Closing In is numbingly derivative, not just because it wears its influences like a bat in its mouth, but because there's nothing even remotely memorable or engaging about it.
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Alternative PressThe irony police already have an APB out on these dudes... but in reality, the old guard are just jealous because they didn't think of it first. [Dec 2005, p.206]
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For devote metal heads, Early Man may represent a renaissance of the original, pure metal sound that started it all. For everyone else, Closing In will be received as a retro novelty rather than a serious musical accomplishment.
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That they can create such a heavy sound with just two people is nothing short of genius.
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Closing In is a classic guitar-driven heavy metal record. It's a throwback to early 80s thrash, the era before speed often became a substitute for creative ideas.
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Closing In might be a fun listen, but considering the wealth of metal bands who continue to push the genre's boundaries further outward, it's odd that Matador would put so much attention on a band as blatantly retro as Early Man.
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Closing In consists of amateurish approximations of the music the duo wishes it were playing.
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SpinThough these faux-naif hipsters genuinely worship the wizard of Ozzfest, they don't have the chops to do much about it. [Nov 2005, p.101]
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UncutEarly Man pull off metal with a back-to-basics swagger--even if their relentless assault does get a bit samey by the end. [Nov 2005, p.111]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 5
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Mixed: 0 out of 5
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Negative: 1 out of 5
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BLKCLD31Jan 13, 2006So easy to just sit back and simply Rock. Yes it is nostalgic but its been a while since anyone has done something so basic and unpretentious.
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ttDec 15, 2005thank god this happened
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SeanTDec 11, 2005sounds like death from above 1979 mixing with metallica,slayer,and sabbath....and that's not a good thing at all.