I have to say that SLIPKNOT have a lot to answer for. Ever since they decided that you can let loose the chaotic and unbridled aggression you have inside you in their awful self-titled debut album there is a whole bunch of other artists that have tried to emulate or even better that, with all the best intentions. Thankfully SLIPKNOT only got better throughout the years, whereas the bands trying to be like them and getting noticed were not very successful most of the time.

Then again, you also had bands that would mix that sound with that of other influences. Some more obvious and with success than others. THE OFFERING has opted for SLIPKNOT, LINKIN PARK and even some SOULFLY, giving them their sound as to be heard on this, their "Seeing The Elephant" album. This Boston based band have found themselves trying to mix all kinds of Metal together, making what they produce proper Modern Metal. Thrash, Groove, Extreme and Nu Metal are all fighting together for the right amount of exposure and affection.

Like I said, not all bands are good at putting their music together, but that's not a worry in this case. I can only say that THE OFFERING has succeeded in blending it all together in a commendable way, as their second studio album "Seeing The Elephant" is hitting all the dirty, filthy but oh so right notes. The songs are full of aggression, whilst not being void of variation and full of conflicting and extreme emotions. From the utmost anger to the deepest sorrow, you will find it here. And all the emotions that you might encounter in between.

The most prevalent one palpable though, is anger. The band knows what it is singing/shouting/screaming about. They have the knack to make the most mundane issues into a rollercoaster ride of conflicts. That in itself shows you what kind of wordsmiths we are working with here. And as all the songs are of an exceptional quality, there is no reason to let "Seeing The Elephant" pass you by. I must admit that I had never heard of THE OFFERING before, so their debut album is not known to my ears and/or brain. But it will be fun to find out if they have evolved from their early days, or just continued the path they set out to follow from the start. If only they wouldn't do a SOULFLY, which is putting a very much different last song on the album, this could have been memorable. Now it's just very good.