Slave to the Game

Personnel: Frank Palmeri (vocals); Mike Mulholland, Jesse Ketive (guitar); Mark Castillo (drums).
Audio Mixer: Joey Sturgis.
Recording information: The Foundation Recording Studio.
Editor: Jeff Dunne.
Photographers: Eric Richter; Double J; Robert Scheuerman; Dustin Smith .
Prolific East Coast metalcore purveyors Emmure follow up on 2011's Speaker of the Dead with their fifth full-length, Slave to the Game. Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack!) reprises his role as producer but slight changes arrive on the band front as Mark Castillo (Crossfade) joins the band as drummer. Despite the lineup change, the core of Emmure is consistent, delivering 12 mosh-ready tracks of bruising breakdowns and snarling vocals. Leadoff single "Protoman" mixes up the guitar chug with some dissonant chords, while "I Am Onslaught" showcases a more sludgy, Deftones-esque approach. Slave to the Game also finds Emmure exploring their more experimental side, as "Umar Dumps Dormammu" slows down the tempo and employs electronics and samples to drive the melody.