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  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
Closing In Image
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

  • Summary: This debut LP from the guitar/drums duo of Mike Conte and Adam Bennati is defintely harder and heavier than your typical Matador release.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Alternative Press
    100
    The irony police already have an APB out on these dudes... but in reality, the old guard are just jealous because they didn't think of it first. [Dec 2005, p.206]
  2. That they can create such a heavy sound with just two people is nothing short of genius.
  3. Closing In is a classic guitar-driven heavy metal record. It's a throwback to early 80s thrash, the era before speed often became a substitute for creative ideas.
  4. Uncut
    60
    Early Man pull off metal with a back-to-basics swagger--even if their relentless assault does get a bit samey by the end. [Nov 2005, p.111]
  5. Closing In is numbingly derivative, not just because it wears its influences like a bat in its mouth, but because there's nothing even remotely memorable or engaging about it.
  6. Closing In might be a fun listen, but considering the wealth of metal bands who continue to push the genre's boundaries further outward, it's odd that Matador would put so much attention on a band as blatantly retro as Early Man.
  7. Closing In consists of amateurish approximations of the music the duo wishes it were playing.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. tt
    Dec 15, 2005
    10
    thank god this happened
  2. bobr
    Dec 7, 2005
    10
    album of the year...hands down
  3. BLKCLD31
    Jan 13, 2006
    9
    So easy to just sit back and simply Rock. Yes it is nostalgic but its been a while since anyone has done something so basic and unpretentious.
  4. SeanT
    Dec 11, 2005
    3
    sounds like death from above 1979 mixing with metallica,slayer,and sabbath....and that's not a good thing at all.