Metal Underground.com

With pounding drums, thrash-y, groove-infused guitar work, and hardcore vocals, Burnt by The Sun’s “Heart of Darkness” fits the metalcore genre well. While it definitely stands out by not fitting the sound that most metalcore bands utilize, it has some weaknesses that bring this release from great to mediocre.

The guitar work is definitely the best part of this album. The vocals follow the rhythm of the guitar most of the time, making for a very groovy feel. Unfortunately, “Heart of Darkness” features some very repetitive sections of music. It almost seems like the band wasn’t sure what to do next. There are, for example, long sections of chugging guitar work. This wouldn’t bother me so much if it was well placed and made the album heavier; it does neither of these. It mostly makes the songs drag on longer than they should be.

However, there are some stand-out parts on this album. "Rust | Future Primitive" begins as a towering, powerful song with colossal tremolo picking and ominous, brooding riffing. Unfortunately, this song also drags on and succumbs to being too long. There are some other great intros on this album ("Inner Station," "The Great American Dream Machine") that lead into rather unsatisfying songs.

There are some catchy parts on the album, including "Inner Station" and "There Will Be Blood," but the majority of them feel pretty directionless. Overall, not a terrible release from Burnt By The Sun, but not an amazing one either.