JACKNIFE – Moment Of Reckoning

The need to describe as briefly as possible a band’s music gave birth to the Metal genre (labels) concept. Although, this has been a great help in communicating, it sometimes can be misleading, especially when a band belongs in an “unfavorable” genre. This situation applies to the band from the USA named Jacknife. The promo sheet refers to the Moment of Reckoning as another Metalcore release, producing a negative reaction in all Metalheadz who find this new trend in the American music industry annoying.

The five year-old band from Greenville, Texas has already released two EPs (Silence No More and Today We Fight), and has performed live supporting bands like Slayer, Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, Agnostic Front, and Machine Head. As stated above, the term Metalcore is inadequate to describe Moment of Reckoning. The songs have strong bonds with Thrash Metal, influenced by bands like Overkill and Anthrax. Some Death Metal elements can also be found, especially in the growling (not shouting) vocals, courtesy of Joe Ortiz.

The fast-paced riff and the commanding Death growl in “Surrender Never” is an ideal album opener, while the impressive drumwork is a perfect reason for headbanging. Melody can also be found during the guitar solo that bears the In Flames performing style. “Unbreakable” features almost all the band’s influences, ranging from Iron Maiden harmonies to The Haunted guitar rhythm section. The almost 2-minute song, “End of Man,” is distinguished by the Death Metal vocal performance with a Six Feet Under style and the battering drums. The neck-breaking riff in “A Glimpse of Hell” is one of the album’s highlights, while the compact guitar and drum work proves Jacknife potential in songwriting. After the “heard it before” Metalcore song “Deception,” is “Tears Fall Endless,” featuring an envied, crystal-clear sound production. The bass guitar and the drums sound perfect, enhancing the Thrash Metal elements in Jacknife’s music. The lack of music diversity can be found in the three following songs — “Breaking Away,” “We the Strong” and “Destined to Rise” — all are almost alike, following the same pattern with melodic riffs and a Thrash rhythm section. The most aggressive song on the album is next, entitled “Moment of Reckoning,” featuring Ortiz’s extreme vocals on the leading role, with powerful Hardcore screams. The tempo changes in “Stand Your Ground,” and proves the band’s technical proficiency, while “Our Time Has Come” closes this promising debut album with some clean vocals that justify the Hardcore background.

The overall rating of the album is well above average, and definitely will help the band to gain some publicity among Metalheadz. The group is comprised of talented musicians that need to work on their songwriting in order to add more diversity, forming their own stand out musical style.