Phantom Tollbooth review...

Into the Pit
Artist: Ultimatum
Label: Retroactive Records
Time: 11 tracks/44:40 minutes

Ultimatum is an American thrash band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
band is relatively well-known to Christian metal heads, but lead singer
Scott Waters is famous in the whole world's metal community, being a
massive CD collector who has posted full reviews of the over
ten-thousand CDs in his collection at his website "No Life Til Metal."

Into the Pit is the band's fourth full-length effort. Ultimatum's other
three records were consistently good, but not great. They have the
Exodus meets Death Angel thrash thing down, but have been consistently
marred by poor production and same-sounding songs. This album remedies
both of those problems and is all the better for it. The production is
clean and heavy. Opener "One For All" hits like a ton of bricks.
Sledgehammer heavy guitars and pounding bass give way to Scott's chorus
shrieks that are so heavy that they sound inhuman, yet no vocal after
effects were used. This completely shows off the professional
studio quality of the recording, and the techniques of a producer who
actually knows what metal should sound like! Producer Ysidro Garcia
should be saluted for creating what is easily the best sounding
Ultimatum record yet.

What really makes this record stand out is the songs though. The band
has always worn their classic thrash influences on their sleeves, never
afraid to back down from the classic sound. Their sound has not evolved
much over the course of four records, and that may bug some, but
musical evolution has never been this band's focus. Instead they are
out to have fun, make some "neck snappin', fist pumpin', head banding"
heavy metal, and preach the gospel while they're at it. Can't fault
them for consistency. However the problem with their older albums was
that the songs just blended together, especially on their first two
albums. This album remedies that, each track has a hook, a catchy
chorus, blazing solos, and most importantly, every song is recognizably
unique from the one that preceded it.

There are many standout cuts: including aforementioned "One for All,"
the speed frenzy of "Deathwish," and the anthemic "Blind Faith" What's
more, they even include an excellent cover of the Iron Maiden classic
"Wrathchild" that will stay stuck in your head for days.

The biggest letdown of this album is that it is already so familiar.
Fans have been waiting six long years for a new Ultimatum platter, and
though this delivers, fans will soon be begging for more. Of the
album's eleven tracks, four were previously released in demo form on
2006's "...til the End!" EP. Also "Blink" is a re-recorded song
from the first record, leaving only five new Ultimatum-penned songs on
this record. Regardless of the quality of the music, I still want more
after six years of waiting! Hopefully it won't be such a long wait for
the next one.

4/5

Noah Salo

Nice!

I was at Family Christian today and picked up HM. Didn't recognize about 80+% of the names in there but they had a Ultimatum review. It was very favorable as well.

Another solid review for the CD Ult - must be feeling pretty good.

I'm liking the CD a lot - got 5 more songs to go through.

Lot of banging on my steering wheel!

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Nice!

I was at Family Christian today and picked up HM. Didn't recognize about 80+% of the names in there but they had a Ultimatum review. It was very favorable as well.

Cool. I'm glad they put the review in HM. It's also scheduled to appear in the next Heaven's Metal.

ult

ultmetal wrote:

Scott Waters is famous in the whole world's metal community, being a
massive CD collector who has posted full reviews of the over
ten-thousand CDs in his collection at his website "No Life Til Metal."

Wow, you just doubled yoour collection!!!!???



Great review though, and it seems that he's benn following you guys for years.