Bury Your Dead - It's Nothing Personal

[Alex DiVincenzo]

Bury Your Dead - It's Nothing Personal
Record Label: Victory Records
Release Date: May 26, 2009

Any music aficionado will tell you that those "For fans of..." stickers that often adorn CD packaging are a joke. Although usually wildly inaccurate when it comes to representing the music, it's interesting to see what kind of crowd the label's sales department is trying to advertise towards. For Bury Your Dead's It's Nothing Personal, Victory Records declares that the album is for fans of Disturbed, Hatebreed, Slipknot, and Lamb of God. Nevermind the stigma that may come with an association with the other acts, but I found the fact that Disturbed was listed as the first similar artist to be rather interesting. Although I would have laughed at the comparison a few years ago, it's sadly not far from the truth these days. Disturbed, while still a commercial success, are mostly associated with their nu metal success which peaked some eight years ago. Similarly, Bury Your Dead were once a good metallic hardcore band who have since fishtailed into a joke among former fans with dulling of sound and integrity aided by a change in vocalists.

It's Nothing Personal is the second album with Myke Terry fronting the band. He made his debut on the groups 2008 self-titled release. Musically it wasn't too far off from the direction the band was previously headed, but the vocals were noticeably weaker than former singer Mat Bruso, despite often trying to immitate him.

For It's Nothing Personal, everything has gone further downhill. The vocals are a mixed bag, with a variety of different styles attempted with varying results. The most notable change is the abundance of clean vocals, something which he only hinted at on the last album. The singing isn't bad per say, but it's often awkward and abrupt in the album's heavier offerings. The lyrics are so cringeworthy you have to wonder if Terry stole a notebook from a "misunderstood" high school freshman. The album is filled with laughable lines such as "Back against a wall / I'm an animal trapped in hell / This is real pain / These are real tears / This is the world falling on me" from "Broken Body," and the repeated yelling of "I hate you all!" at the end of "The Great Demonizer" just screams 'teen angst.'

As with the vocals, the songs themselves are all over the place with half-baked instrumentation. The band was certainly never known for complex riffs, but the guitarwork found here sounds like it was stolen from the nu metal playbook. Of course, there are also uninspired breakdowns in an attempt to appease the mosh kids. There are a few heavy songs that are reminiscent of the band's older material, but it never seems to last too long. "Closed Eyes" is an awful industrial ballad that comes at the end of the album before the appropriately titled "Enough" provides a piano outro.

Although the band still has its two founding members, guitarist Brendan MacDonald and drummer Mark Castillo, fifteen member changes over five years has left their sound nearly unrecognizable from what it began as. Some will call it progression while others will say the band has sold out. Frankly, I don't care about the reason, because the fact remains that the new sound isn't appealing to me at all. As a former fan, it's a shame to see.

I could try to be witty in insulting the band by using the album title in a clever pun or saying that the cover art shows all of their remaining fans, but instead I'll allow Terry's lyrics, which begin the song "Without You," to speak for me: "Turn your head and run / This is the worst it's ever been." Oh, what an accurate statement.

Sevendust, Slipknot, Fear Factory, Korn, Bury Your Dead's self-titled album but none of their other back catalog

[Alex DiVincenzo]

Now that I think about it, this album sounds a lot like Disturbed. Maybe those stickers aren't so inaccurate after all.

[princesschad]

Those lyrics are so funny.

[deezee]

Nothing Personal>It's Nothing Personal

I know you can't compare the two but this album is BAD...

Nice Review Alex.

[Chuck!]

absolutely one of the worst CDs I've heard all year... and I loved old BYD. It's a shame.

[ThisIsNotDan]

lolol how this band has fallen off

[anthonydarko]

An example of when a band changes their sound drastically to cash in.

[EndSerenading]

ugh so terrible. I was never really huge into them but this is just awful.

[Greg.Kushlan]

I heard one of their songs on MTV2 the other day and it was pretty awful

[Heroin Robot]

Yea this album is no good

[Travis Parno]

good stuff, alex, great intro

[popdisaster00]

this band has always been boring.

[jdgtrplyr]

Terrible album and I've grown up listening to these guys over the years. This is NOT what BYD was meant to be, they should have changed their name before releasing this record.

[Roboman]

Thanks for mentioning Disturbed, I was looking for something to listen to, so I think I'll put on Believe.

[The:Whaler]

fucking hell, you make out like they've gone from folk music to drum n bass...

bit of an extreme review if you ask me, but everyone else seems to agree.

[EndSerenading]

they went from tolerable, light hearted metallic hardcore to a nu-metal sounding band that is trying way too hard and has simultaneously gotten worse at every position besides drums.

i think the review is warranted.

[lostintheair]

album screams slipknot. disturbed mention on the sticker is probably more because they just toured with them.

[kevinjordan]

Well, they were literally the biggest hardcore band around for years... they couldn't keep putting out the same record over and over again... eventually I think guys want to make money and stop living out of a van or on a couch. I hope they make some serious dollars! These guys have been hard workers for years!

[onetwentyseven]

great review dude. i keep "Broken Body" in my iTunes for the lol's.
THIS IS REAL PAIN! THESE ARE REAL TEARS!

[Mattylikesfilms]

Cover your tracks was the shizzzzzz

Everything after that IS shit.

[ACA]

gross

[Kutty]

Lolz. I was a huge BYD fan in the day. Heck I have seen them more than any band ever. Sad to see them fail like this. I knew after Mat they wouldnt be any good. Looks like I was rigth.

[xsinkshipsx]

old BYD ftw...


it's a shame

[handlikesecret]

Back against a wall / I'm an animal trapped in hell / This is real pain / These are real tears / This is the world falling on me
:rotfl:

[Yellowcard2006]

Those lyrics made me laugh...nothing personal.

[YouSmellExcited]

more like sevendust your dead. they didn't need the shitty melodic nu-metal vocals
..and they shouldn't have said it's "definitely a BYD record" because it's far from :-(
Nothing Personal>It's Nothing Personal
I know you can't compare the two but this album is BAD...
anything beats atl

[deezee]

more like sevendust your dead. they didn't need the shitty melodic nu-metal vocals
..and they shouldn't have said it's "definitely a BYD record" because it's far from :-(
anything beats atl
Anything? haha

[YouSmellExcited]

Anything? haha
yes, especially their juvenile music videos

[deezee]

yes, especially their juvenile music videos
Fair enough, I like them but I'm not a hardcore fan that fills the need to defend their honor lol

I like their new album but I know I'll be done with it in a few months, I understand why you dislike them they're nothing great...

[M.C COB]

I remember when this brought kinda brought it, now not so much.

[Boadrummer]

I'm not afraid to say it, this album is BY FAR the best record BYD has put out to date.

I can't stand their old CDs. I also can't stand Disturbed... take it for what it's worth. This is a solid album.

[EndSerenading]

I'm not afraid to say it, this album is BY FAR the best record BYD has put out to date.

I can't stand their old CDs. I also can't stand Disturbed... take it for what it's worth. This is a solid album.

well I suppose we're just going to disagree. As I said earlier, I've never been a huge fan (Cover Your Tracks was super fun though), but I do at least check out their albums. To me, this is "by far" the worst recording they have ever made. The vocals are absolutely terrible (and obviously heavily studio edited because he sounds even worse singing live), the screaming vocals are terribly weak, the guitar has absolutely no tone - all the tone has been totally sucked out by the production; I just can't find anything to like about this album. /shrug

Beyond that, even people I know that have been pretty big fans of these guys for 6-7 years (basically since the beginning) pretty much hate this record even more than they did the last record.

I guess maybe the main point is that this record is certainly not made for any old school BYD fans.

[chelseaxsmilexD]

I hate this badn... always have.... i love hardcore/metalcor/post-hxc but this is hsit... if you want hxc/mxc/phxc listen to the chairot, inhale exhale, motionless in white, underoath and tdwp, oh and aof.

[chelseaxsmilexD]

Fair enough, I like them but I'm not a hardcore fan that fills the need to defend their honor lol

I like their new album but I know I'll be done with it in a few months, I understand why you dislike them they're nothing great...
they both suck... okay?

[deezee]

they both suck... okay?
Okay!! :-)

[chelseaxsmilexD]

Okay!! :-)
really... i mean they're both absolutely monstrous.

[xtheaudition]

lol

[lurker411_k9]

:(

I downloaded this the day before it came out, listened to it once, and deleted it from my iTunes. I can't even remember any of the songs.

[chelseaxsmilexD]

EAR RAPE!!!!!! :rape:

[chelseaxsmilexD]

Anything? haha
wiat no brokeNCYDE sucks more.... they killed MJ... and yesterday i heard freaxxx by them and this morning i was diagnosed with testicular cancer!!! also they killed my mom and got george bush elected both times.M-(

[chelseaxsmilexD]

I'm not afraid to say it, this album is BY FAR the best record BYD has put out to date.

I can't stand their old CDs. I also can't stand Disturbed... take it for what it's worth. This is a solid album.
six words and two obscene smileys....

EAR RAPE!!!!!! :rape:

Get abducted by aliens you freak!
:abduct:

[chelseaxsmilexD]

more like sevendust your dead. they didn't need the shitty melodic nu-metal vocals
..and they shouldn't have said it's "definitely a BYD record" because it's far from :-(
anything beats atl
quoting the first thing you said... fuck the atl shit... we don't need to give them bad press....

but i know right... this isn't Korn 2.0

[chelseaxsmilexD]

Well, they were literally the biggest hardcore band around for years... they couldn't keep putting out the same record over and over again... eventually I think guys want to make money and stop living out of a van or on a couch. I hope they make some serious dollars! These guys have been hard workers for years!
and unfortunately if they keep putting this crap out it'll be all for nothing.

[xtheaudition]

Htd0pnWbbwo

lol

[YouSmellExcited]

quoting the first thing you said... fuck the atl shit... we don't need to give them bad press....
but i know right... this isn't Korn 2.0i tired to like this album & listen with an open mind, but after like..3 songs, it got very redundant and cringe-worthy


lolweakest wall of death everrr! even Aiden/Thursday have done crazier ones

[xtheaudition]

i tired to like this album & listen with an open mind, but after like..3 songs, it got very redundant and cringe-worthy

weakest wall of death everrr! even Aiden/Thursday have done crazier ones
even taking back sunday warped tour 04, shit was so big!

[chelseaxsmilexD]

i tired to like this album & listen with an open mind, but after like..3 songs, it got very redundant and cringe-worthy

weakest wall of death everrr! even Aiden/Thursday have done crazier ones
Thursday is fucking amazing shut up!!!!! i went to a concert with bmth and thursday, it was so funny watching Thursday's "wod" right before bmth got on and created a mile wide moshpit XD

[YouSmellExcited]

Thursday is fucking amazing shut up!!!!! i went to a concert with bmth and thursday, it was so funny watching Thursday's "wod" right before bmth got on and created a mile wide moshpit XDi said they had a better wall of death than BYD, i didn't say they sucked. ew who the f still says "mosh pit" ?!

[chelseaxsmilexD]

i said they had a better wall of death than BYD, i didn't say they sucked. ew who the f still says "mosh pit" ?!
several people actually.... y0u 3ith3r d0nt g3t 0ut much 0r th3 small t0wn i liv3 in is super far behind... and i highly doubt we're that pfar behind, being so close to suburbia

[YouSmellExcited]

several people actually.... y0u 3ith3r d0nt g3t 0ut much 0r th3 small t0wn i liv3 in is super far behind... and i highly doubt we're that pfar behind, being so close to suburbia
just say "pit" or "the pit"
haha

[WhiteLies.]

Haha, good review. I can't believe those are actual lyrics...

[xlife2lifelessx]

just got off a plane a few hours ago listened to you had me at hello up through beauty and the breakdown

its a shame

[import2nr22]

dude i had high hopes thinkin something good could of came and brought back the old BYD but was i ungodly mistaken. I didnt think the self titled album was bad in any sort, but sounded like five finger death punch riffs LAMMMEEEE.. but i agree they have become a joke among fans. Mat Bruso come back! leave your job as an educator and bring back beauty and the breakdown.

[newfoundmichael]

Cover Your Tracks was a sweet album...what happened? blah.

[demonryu]

I saw this band when Bruso was with them and they were insane live, but judging how weak this album is I don't know if this would be the case.

I miss the heavy as hell breakdowns and riffs, the songs on It's Nothing Personal have no bite to them, half the time this sounds like slightly louder hard rock than the metalcore. I also miss the fun this group used to be about, considering their lyrical content used to be themed and didn't take itself seriously.

[Alex DiVincenzo]

I saw this band when Bruso was with them and they were insane live, but judging how weak this album is I don't know if this would be the case.

I miss the heavy as hell breakdowns and riffs, the songs on It's Nothing Personal have no bite to them, half the time this sounds like slightly louder hard rock than the metalcore. I also miss the fun this group used to be about, considering their lyrical content used to be themed and didn't take itself seriously.
I just saw them a couple days ago and am happy to say that they still put on a good show. Myke has a lot of energy. Granted, they played all old stuff (it was a benefit show), but it was still a fun time. Here is (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSHMoHDnoB0) a video of them playing Magnolia. You can also see my pictures from the show along with an interview of the band -- in which they discuss the change in sound -- at alexislegend.com (http://alexislegend.com).

[applesandcyanid]

more like sevendust your dead. they didn't need the shitty melodic nu-metal vocals
..and they shouldn't have said it's "definitely a BYD record" because it's far from :-(
anything beats atl
It's "Bury Your Fucking Sevendust".