June 18th, 2009 
James Shotwell 
Artist: Bury Your Dead
Album: It’s Nothing Personal
Label: Victory
Genre: Hard Rock
Bury Your Dead has outlasted most predictions of their career. They’ve gone through loss of a lead singer and regained their footing with little to no impact on their fanbase in a negative way. Now, with the release of their 5th studio record [6th total], the group evolves out of the “by the numbers” hardcore they’ve been known for and go for a more heavy rock sound on thier 5 Victory Records release, It’s Nothing Personal.
The lead track and single, “Hurting Not Helping,” seems to summarize the entire record pretty well. We’re greeted with the typical chugging BYD style, but then the music and vocals take a turn for the world of hard rock in the vein of Killswitch or Disturbed as vocalist Myke Terry tries out his surprisingly strong singing voice. It takes you back for a second, but surprisingly, it works – really well.
As the album moves along, tracks like “Without You,” “Broken Body,” “Legacy of Ashes,” and “Closed Eyes,” all work as a showcase for the band treading new water. Terry’s voice goes places we haven’t before really gotten to experience and it generally works surprisingly well. I thought the band might sway into screamo territory, but that is not the case. Everything is kept separate and used in the appropriate time and place.
For those of you let down at the news of the group’s vocal and stylistic expansion, have no fear, the heavy is still first and foremost on the record. “Dead End Lovesong,” outside the chorus, is one huge chugfest. Likewise, “The Forgotten” is sure to make any hardcore fan’s blood boil and induce pits.
I guess that the biggest change isn’t in Terry’s approach, but the music’s feel in general. This doesn’t feel liek a hardcore band expanding, but more like…dare I say it…nu metal. That’s right, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, and Mudvayne style effects and structures run rampant throughout the record.
However, changing your style successfully doesn’t guarantee you a successful record. While it is nice to hear the band finding some good new horizons, the lyrics feel a bit contrived throughout [for instance, “when your words lose taste in my mouth, when the ink runs dry, and time runs out, i’ll be the bridge you burn”] and that new sound I talked so much about is still very apparently new to the band as it’s a constant sound that doesn’t expand – aka – a lot of it sounds the same.
A+ for effort, D for final product. Sorry guys, It’s Nothing Personal.
Score: 6.5/10
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long live the early bury your dead releases cover your tracks and beauty and the breakdown…this was one band that shouldve stayed with what they knew best.