[6/10] Despite having been around for the better part of fifteen years, and having released four albums: 1996’s Controlance, 1999’s Shut Down, 2001’s Pigeon Holed and 2004’s Bleed The Dream, Las Vegas-based groove/thrash metal act Hemlock have a relatively small profile within the metal scene.

But after years of independently released albums and a short stint with Candlelight Records (who re-released Bleed The Dream), the four-piece act (who comprise of vocalist/bassist Chad Smith, guitarists Brandon Crane and Bryan Gentry and drummer Steve Baca) have finally signed to a new label, with Blind Prophecy Records securing the rights to their new full-length effort No Time For Sorrow.

As mentioned earlier, Hemlock’s sound sits neatly within the groove/thrash metal realm, with influences such as Pantera, Machine Head and Pro-Pain clearly heard throughout the album’s dozen tracks. But while the band’s influences sound enticing, for the most part, No Time For Sorrow is largely an album by the numbers.

The opening track “World Of The Transparent” is a solid example of the direction the band takes with the majority of the album. There’s a big emphasis on groove throughout the song, with the guitarists providing big heavy riffs, while Smith produces a low guttural growl for the most part, with only the occasional clean line heard. Although good, “World Of The Transparent” isn’t exactly what you would call all that genre shattering or challenging, which means that it’s quite unremarkable or memorable.

“Red Sky Revolution” pretty much follows the path of the opener until it speeds up a little more toward the tail end, while the title track “No Time For Sorrow” is noted for its breakdowns and quickened tempo. But again, neither really stands out as truly amazing or groundbreaking.

While the remainder of the album retains the consistency of the three opening tracks, nothing really manages to rise above the standard set either. What this means is that if you were unsure as to whether or not you wanted to purchase this album, all you would have to do is give the first three tracks on the album a spin. If you like them, then you’ll enjoy No Time For Sorrow. If, on the other hand they didn’t sound all that appealing, then stop right there because there’s not a real lot of diversity for the remainder of the album.

The bottom line is that for a groove/thrash metal album, No Time For Sorrow is OK, but it’s hardly a classic by any standard.

www.hemlockworld.com