”Luoto” is more of an intro than an actual tune per se, but it already does more than setting the mood or paving the way for the first song to speak of – it makes a statement of its own accord: this record is a heck of a well-balanced mish-mash of darkness and light. It encompasses most aspects of both those variables expertly well, so it’s hard to call any of these songs whether solely heavy or solely soft on the ear. Both elements clash, more often than not, and I’ll bet that’s exactly what this intro is striving to proove, and it does so successfully with a hooky acoustic pattern. It sounds real vast and airy, and you’ll find most the record feels very very roomy, that kind of a production being the best option for most melodic metal out there without question. ”New Dynamic” has some sort of a power-metally intro lick, albeit this hint of the genre can only be found in faint passages of the record – it’s not a game-changer or definer in any sort of a way. The first verse has more of a viking’esque vibe. The riffs are simple but effective, and both the nifty song structure and the hooks are on call. The licks also happen to really bleed with raw emotion. It’s a frenetic tune that doesn’t lack urgency either, and I gotta say the vocals are energizing too, plowing on in all of their mighty filth especially in that kick-arse chorus.

Such a compelling entrance into matter would explain why I was more than puzzled and let down by ”In the Rim” and ”Nightwalkers”. The former opens up with some really interesting bass work, along with brilliant riffage and leads that really have a way of conjuring up hope for the best – but this goes on a rather goofy power metal roll in the first verse that’s, albeit thankfully short-lived, not so fitting and a bit too easy and surprising coming from these dudes in particular. The progressive aspect of the tune also seems to be slightly go-nowhere, and the licks have a way of sounding canned/boxed-up/whatever you wanna call it that translates into Terribly Timid. The eeriness of the keys and the prompting, poignant, and gut-wrenching licks around the end of the song; it all makes for a somber and pretty epic wrap-up, but I still got left with a feeling that this, on the whole, felt dramatically lackey on more than one front. ”Nightwalkers” has the same issue, albeit it does score a couple more points which do lead up to some pretty rad tunes afterward – the use of bass drums give the overall scenery a real badass strength of character, the licks sound very à-la-Daylight Dies halfway into the structure of the track, along with a pretty bold and disillusioned vocal that has a way of sending shivers running through your brain. But those assets don’t roll in often enough in the whole span of the track to make it worthy from front to back – they’re scattered in the midst of some pretty reluctant content especially on the riffage front, and it seems even the keys could’ve plowed on more violently with more of a convincing, dramatic vibe in their wake.

”Formidable” starts off on desolate string work, which is a ritual that these guys know to perform really stunningly well when the inspiration’s audibly at its highest level, and that’s exactly what makes me frown over the two previous cuts so adamantly. This intro leads into razor sharp and punchy drumming with some more explosive guitar work in the rhythm section, entwined with mesmerizing leads. Hell of a shame this pattern takes a backseat from the minute the first verse rolls in; the rhythmic chugging herein sure doesn’t impress. The licks are haunting and the chorus hits the mark – thankfully. The second verse seems to have more oomph, but still could’ve used more luxurious layering. This is still the type of song you can head bang to, and it’s easier to get pulled into this one. I also gotta underline that ’bout three minutes in especially, it’s easy to see how skilled this bassist is; he’s really breathing a ton of life into this record on his very own, and truly acting as the foundation of it all, doing much more than flaunting his stuff throughout the album – he experiments and boundary-pushes plenty, all across the board. Kudos to the man.

”The Sonic Sign” gets into a surprisingly upbeat gallop that just happens to work wonders on this gal. It has plenty of ‘tude in its first verse, and the vocal is pretty goddamned fierce. Actually, even when it goes on a mid-tempo stroll, I’m digging the riffs – and that chorus is just as dark as it’s elegant. It’s fucking killer, in short. The overall structure of the track is accessible, but also calculating and throat-grabbing. ”Who Could Say” took me aback with the use of clean vocals (those aren’t this frontman’s strong suit, if I may say so) and the melodic guitars don’t seem to take as much space as they should’ve throughout this deal. The bass guides everything and expertly sails this ship no problem – but damn, the guitars could’ve gone on fast-evolving leads a LOT more than this. There’s no real momentum in the first verse, but it goes into one particularly moving and epic chorus, and at that moment, the vocalist sounds guttural, and his growl is downright impressively strong.

The savage drumming, along with the progressive and melodic rampage in the beginning, guitar-wise; it gives ”The Unknowing” a very three-dimensional feel, which is totally on the mark for a record like this one, IMO. The use of a mid-tempo march for verses is questionable, but those are well-layered enough to stay interesting, what’s with the way the guitars are playing off of each other. I’m liking the keys here. They’re really going for a strong feel in their melodic musings, plus the riffs in the rhythm sections are adding just the right edge to those. The soloing in this tune also has plenty of originality to its direction.

”Living in Me” goes on a nicely calculating lick to start with, coupled with really thunderous drumming, and quickly evolving basswork. The rhythm section also sounds real revitalized here. This cool as heck dirty riffage going into the first verse – it’s so hooky and prompting. This track has a cobweb of nuances going on and it’s all very cinematic and deliciously bewildering to boot. ”The White Palace”, on the other hand, is for the extremely diehard fans of the band in this turf and might not breeze past all that well for those that would rather get a compact display of flame-throwing madness from these gents – it’s more of a laid back song with bits and pieces of completely mental rage thrown in, albeit it seems to settle down for multiple valleys lined up within a ten minute span that seems to drag its feet and tone down the general excitement a peg – that doesn’t take anything away from the good stuff that’s about as easy to go back to as the Skip Back button can make it.

This is a satisfying and refreshing album, and it sure as heck gets one to take a long and good hard look at modern day melodic death metal through a very three-dimensional & very 2013 filter. And that, in itself, should tell you plenty about its quality – perfection doesn’t make Special. Uniqueness does, and those guys aren’t imitators, and they won’t jump through pre-organized hoops; Omnium Gatherum gotta be Omnium Gatherum, and last I checked, being yourself is the key to genuine impact.

Gene Hoglan handles the drumming here (guy’s been having a particularly busy summer; he’s the type of cat that takes a few hours to learn a new tune, which makes me less than surprised he’s been having his hands full), Chris Valagao (from Zimmers Hole, that I never learned to appreciate much, but am now tempted to look more deeply into) makes one hell of an impression going through all the possible metal vocal ranges known to man, Steve DiGiorgio sports his genius basswork proudly, especially around the end of the album, and last but not least, Ralph Santolla, (Obituary, Deicide) & Ilias handle the guitar duty. The latter didn’t satisfy me at each and every turn of the album, especially the lead section – but I gotta admit those two work their asses off to improve their attack from song to song. A clear improvement is noticeable as each number goes, and the end round-up is particularly stampede.

”Nations on Fire” starts off with contemplative string work that got me thinking of modern MAIDEN, as it seems impossible of late to start a modern thrash record without the obvious nod to NWOBHM. Still, in this case, it’s only a slight acknowledgement, as the track morphs into more of an aggressive ordeal pronto. The high range vocal from Chris’ end is very uplifting. The lead section is calculating and incredibly engrossing. The galloping drumwork keeps on getting punchier as it goes without encountering any sort of a problem. The riffage also happens to have plenty of bite. The first verse sounds more like modern, unclassifiable metal than anything I could’ve possibly expected after this type of intro. The chorus is powerful, the vocal enhancing that quality in a striking way. The riffage in that one section is touch-and-go, but the licks are fucking magnificent. Actually, I’d say the focus is mostly on those in the case of this track. At 3.50, there’s a bit of a useless proggier section that over-recycles one lame riff right into oblivion, but the solo following this is wondrous, even with the rhythm guitar background being weak at best. Still, overall, this is a catchy tune, and the tiny letdown smack in the middle does little to ruin it. ”Where Hate Lies” has this pounds-heavy intro, which seems to be the general line of thought every time a tune comes in from that moment and on. The riffs are easy, but on the dial. The feel is old school and particularly filthy, with a pretty damn good chorus. There’s nothing complex about this track at all, but it rocks fucking hard. It also has an interesting section at 1.53 that houses some state-of-the-art thunder from Gene’s end and a progressive solo that, whilst being a tad linear, still showcases blinding skill that’s gonna satisfy most geeks among us. The melodies we have here also nail it; those guys really fly high above the lot in that department. They especially shine when they go all-out with the original turn-arounds. Direct proof would be that this song starts off as an Overkill -worship circle, and ends as a progressive, and massively stompier affair. ”The Break” goes to support the statement that this vocalist got seriously overlooked by my good self the last couple years. He’s a fucking phenomena. The huge drum sound gets vastly abused in this tune and that’s all well and good; it’s more of a progressive and slicing number, tagging along with the general idea of the end of the previous cut. The attack has plenty of meat on those bones. It’s suspenseful and hooky, with a chorus that will bite you on the ass all across the board. ”Circle”, though, as the title underlines it, chases its own tail. It offers a whirlwind of an intro with a fucking TON of layers to boot, with a very frenetic first verse laying on a bit of a repetitive riff. The transition to the chorus is smooth, but the lead is following the vocal throughout, and the latter happens to sound pretty damn tired on this one. The solo sounds very off too. By 2.03, everything is on nosedive-mode. There’s a tiny groovier section around 2.29 boosted by an energetic enough signature Hoglan delivery, but I’m still floored by how weak the rest of the song panned out.

”Misery” starts with this hooky main riff that seems to place all of its bets on groove. The intro is a nifty build-up. The first verse is crap though; it seems to attempt semi-melody on a timidly thrashy roll. 1.21 seems to gain more direction as the return of the main groovy riff backs up the melodic vocal real well. The chorus is heartfelt and a hook in itself. It’s really simple, but also works fine. By the time the second verse hits though, if it wasn’t for the kickass drumming switching techniques and being this crushing, there wouldn’t be much of an interest nugget anywhere. The rhythm guitars are too boxed up in absolutely all sections, and the vocal is tired. The chorus is the best thing around these parts. It forges one solid maze of melodies. 3.18 is more or less of a tight section. It only truly goes for something at 3.43 as the solo bleeds more than its usual, regardless of being half-buried in the mix. ”Rules of Engagement” promptly goes into a kickass hyperspeed fit with powerful drums and a swirly rhythm section. The vocal approach reminds me of Mustaine here. The chorus, on the other hand, is more like solo Halford material. It’s powerful, hooky, and full of ‘tude. The drumming is punchy with a whole lotta timeous technique switches. It also seems the rhythm guitars do more elaborate yard work here. 2.05 is a badass section with razor-sharp riffs. The soloing also sounds good in this setting. 2.44 brings up yet another solo that sounds fucking badass this time, mainly thanks to the background elements being completely fucking ape. The vocal goes towards the Ronnie feel by the end. The switches between song patterns are truly original and this whole track didn’t stop flourishing ’til the last note hit. By now, I’m pretty goddamned impressed.

The Overkill-type vocal is back on board in ”Death Shop”, which is a very typical thrash attack. There’s plenty of urgency to the riffage; it’s truly dirty and speedy and focused. The drumming is linear though, but it still does its bulk of work to make this a huge-sounding track. The leads are barely original though.The chorus is groovy, nasty, and also happens to bite. 2.26 is an ace section housing a particularly solid drum gallop, and the soloing strives to go in all directions, and there’s a hell of an organic quality to that practice.”Destiny Found” starts on a mighty nice melody which eventually goes into a stampede drumming section atop a groovy riff.It’s all quick to kick into one highly thrash gear. The first verse is yet again in the Overkill branch with it’s lot of accessible riffage. 1.19 is definitely an interesting twist in things. It’s smoothly melodic, but seems mis-proportioned production-wise, which is the major kicker of a problem in this one tune. It ruins practically the whole thing except the verses, in which the sound is oddly more stable. Anyhow, 1.39 comes up with dyzzing licks for a nice touch. The bass sound, on the flipside, is way too muffled and misplaced in the mix. I’d even go as far as saying that all the instruments sound too damned separated; like none of them are in the same building.

”A New Era” doesn’t have that problem at all, for no reason at all, but I’m friggin’ relieved. This chaotic intro has an unmistakable Strapping Young Lad ring to it. 0.37 suggests a cool buildup, chock full of slightly progressive riffage and drumming. It all quickly goes into the coolest groove-riffs. 1.10 sounds like an old school Metallica type of build. There’s some very epic switches between patterns; I’d even say this is transcendental from front to back. At 2.07. kickass basswork dives into a heavier and crunchier section with soloing going atop which simply sounds out of control in the best imaginable way. No doubt, those cats nail the instrumental cuts perfect. ”Power Out” has the coolest (and tightest) fucking groove in the rhythm section dueling with a mint series of doodlings from the low-end. The vocal delivery is nice n’ raspy, over some neat semi prog-thrash riffs. There’s a neat drum gallop going on over a very old school main riff afterward. Actually, this whole track works as a linear buildup; there’s no sign of a chorus anywhere. It all seems to keep on increasing in terms of anger though, and the riffs never lose their focus. Even the licks are state of the art. At 2.54, the riffs lose some impact, although that’s short-lived and the solo is thankfully fine. The return of the main song pattern is bombastic enough to make that a minor, forgettable flaw. ”Scratching the Surface (5th Hour)” is hooky, groovy, and fucking spot-on. It bets on its main horses (essentially comprised of a smooth transition between a top-class melodic section, a heavy as hell chorus, and a steamroller of punches courtesy of Sir Gene). It also happens to introduce parts that are as progressive and technical as ever, and Steve’s bass work gets a well-deserved greenlight here. He definitely should’ve been more audible from the start. The soloing flies its own plane now too, switching between enough techniques to stay entertaining. ”Methods of the Past” is Gene’s moment without a doubt, as he takes over the whole thing in an apocalyptic manner that closes the album the exact way it should.

There’s so much going on in each of those tracks, it’s pretty goddamned fitting to call this band a super group. They sure as hell brought out a super album. There’s too many details to mention to possibly write a review short enough to pop up on a site, so I’ll wrap this by stating the obvious: goddamn it, if you wanna do yourself a favor, pop the champagne and let this one come alive.

”Summoning Black Gods” immediately indicates that ambiance ain’t lost on this bunch and I do think that in the case of this one album, it doesn’t overstep. This intro induces chills in this 80s splatter gore horror film type of cool manner and doesn’t even require a body being decapitated to give me the impression a couple dead fellas are gonna pile up in one corner of this turf soon. The guitar sound is razor sharp from the minute it hauls ass around. This doomy intro riff is catchy and absorbing. The riffage at 2.08 has a great sense of groove, additionally to being tight as fuck. The drumming is very frenetic, and the frontman’s screams are awesome to listen to. This truly is a well-oiled machine right out the gate. I’m digging the proggier riffs around 3.07, for the simple reason that they sound like downright filth, and that shift in pace at 3.25 is nicely calculated. The downtempo tendencies these guys have every now and again are good news, I tell you – they’re engrossing rather than tiring or totally aggravating. The solo section is eerie and technical (without being some over the top eye roll). It has plenty of vitality. ”Descend to the Tomb” is a favorite of mine, and sure doesn’t lack on the Urgency front. The drumming is tempestuous and the main riff is anxiety-filled, scoring major points in the Feel Your Craft department. Actually, I’d even go as far as saying that the riffage paving the way to the first verse reminds me of old school Slayer (this ain’t the only time I had a thought for the Kerry King style of playing over the span of this one listening session). On the flipside, the downtempo (yes, downtempo) pacing of the first verse is pure despair. 2.44 goes straight back into this gnarly old school thrash we all love. The solo is yet again stylish and just skillful enough. It wails and bleeds and plows on. The vocal is intense as ever. This track’s chorus also happens to be incredibly loyal to the earliest incarnation of the death-thrash genre, which is only one of ’em traits that make it a focus track IMO.

”Dead Spheres” has a suspenseful intro, with a clear direction in terms of melody. I’m liking the color of the riffs in the first verse, building up to a peak at 1.41 that just happens to be very evil and organic in spite of not being original at all. Even though some riffs in this tune sound choked, they gotta be fucking great to mosh to. The drumming, at 2.25, truly goes for another kick ass prog moment, slaying the mid-tempo frame of mind. It’s a section that takes a while to fully develop, but it’s still quite interesting to me. The main issue with this track is the rushed ending – it’s like them tv shows that end up on the chopping block from the minute they build to the best story arc the writers could possibly figure out.

”Evocation of the Father” has so many shades and different approaches all rolled up into one single delivery, it’s tough not to dig in with an eagerness that gets constantly renewed as it morphs on. The contemplative bass work in the intro is rad, to begin with. The vocal is more and more gripping at this point. The background riffage goes for this really airy vintage doom schtick which I find absurdly enjoyable (at all moments of this record, really – I was floored by that surprise, I don’t like doom in death metal much, as I might’ve over-repeated before). 1.06 introduces this sub-par, but still effective riff, leading into a mid-tempo stroll that works, without playing circles around much of anything let alone the other (superior) tracks. It’s not a bad one by any stretch, and the variations keep it improving, but I still wouldn’t go back to this one the most often. It’s more like some sort of a jam-out rather than a compact and staccato delivery of mind-blowing acrobatics. It’s still enjoyable for what it is though, if solely for the feel. The soloing gets more interesting 2 minutes in, and the groovy riffage 19 seconds later seems to be just the right U-Turn this tune needed to start rocking harder. The bass drum here sounds really mint. Things really get more hectic and mental as the track closes out. The atonal half-melodies at 4.10 truly invoke an unstable mood clearly, and the cinematic licks ’bout 5 minutes are original and intricate.

”The Nameless City” is old school and engaging. The prog-thrash riffs are, yet again, groovy, and well-built. The verse riffs are a tad too repetitive, albeit reasonably good. I gotta admit the main thing about this track that stuck right out at me was the seriously cool retro rock-sounding rhythm section at 3.11. It’s a ballsy turn-around that genuinely feels Sabbath’y. ”Hymns to the New Land” has a true voice in terms of feel and the biggest intent to fucking slay. The proggy riffage and the technique switches of the drummer’s – it all creates suspense with just the right touch of technical geekism. The riffs know just how to avoid sounding dated, taking direct advice from the previous tune. It’s a well-balanced track shifting between some of the best thrash on this record so far, the aforementioned prog route, and the groovy riffage+sledgehammer drumming death metal fury. ”Exli’s Heritage”, on the other (read: opposite) plane of thought, heads straight back to the 80s Slayer terrain. It’s not the kind of song that wastes any time- both the riffage and the drumming are teethy as hell. It’s an apocalyptic and sincerely fucking freeing modus operandi. It’s all a simple, but very venomous and effective structure built on fast and slicing chugging.

The main downer for me in ”The Loved Dead” is def that the slightly goofy and very retro downtempo doom riffage in the beginning of the tune could’ve reared its head a few more times along the way. This turned into a bit of a sub-par and deja-vu death-thrash song quicker than it should’ve. The soloing seems to be hellbent on following its instinct, and that’s the only part of this cut I think really stands the test of time. All else in this one structure was certainly done better over the rest of the album’s length, no hesitation on that statement at all.

There ain’t a single trace of a doubt in my mind that this will quench the thirst of many. It’s a mighty fucking fine album, a cool band, and a rad label backing it up to boot. Fetch the package and enjoy it for what it is instead of worshiping over polished death metal that strives to be something it ain’t. Nothing beats Organic, and this is the type of record that doesn’t end up as the weak link in your collection after 3-4 spins – it’s solid,and takes on a life of its own. Feel is very important in all genres of metal, and Chapel of Disease do show they know that very well, and that’s also something that should get old schoolers like me talking for a bit.

This beautiful and absolutely attractive concept can already be heard in the intro. The guitars already sound like they’re hellbent on squashing you to bits, and the leads characteristically sound very olde English, and remain catchy as fuck as ”Tomorrow’s Plague” kick starts. The drumming is nicely frenetic, and the truly dirty main riff crawls in ’bout 25 seconds in, showcasing what’s obviously gonna be one kickass compactness for the whole span of the tune. The vocal, nevertheless, sounds a tad off. It does what it has to do, but doesn’t sound nearly as good as I’d expected. Still, the chorus is absolutely old school, and showcases how much of a ‘banger this track is, the more it develops. The soaring lickery at 1.40 is too damned short-lived though, but my money’s worth for a lead guitar fix wasn’t gonna stay outta the radar screen much longer; the rest of this record is chock-full of satisfaction on that front. The acceleration of the chugging at 3.07 is classic stuff, underneath leads that are no less than blinding and even mildly dizzying, in the exact way you absolutely long for when basking in your thrash worship. The groove is almighty stellar. ”Betrayed” doesn’t chop wood bare-handed though. The main riff is, yet again, nicely filthy. It’s simplistic, but effective. The leadwork atop is flawless. Still, I can’t get into this singer; he sounds better when going into higher register, but his performance has a way of falling flat and leaving me careless. The pseudo melody in the chorus follows that motion; it leaves me cold, wondering what happened to the sensuality of the first tune as it finished. It feels the track is moving far too fucking slow, when it should’ve plowed on like one mean asshat. Still, the main riffery works well enough to make this reasonably catchy. At 2.44, the rhythm guitars sound huge, although they don’t break out of their linear chugging much, but the groove/melodic leads combined have a way of making this dish a lot more savory, and I went straight back to feeling very amped about these guys right ’round that time. That lead guitarist is simply untouchable. The singer still has plenty of work to do before he manages to keep on pushing the high range consistently though, but he gets much better at his craft within the next few tracks.

”Remains” has the filthiest introductory bass line that I adored from the get go. It got me a bit puzzled and surprised, but I loved it to bits. The doomy riff tagging along is a thing of hot beauty. This type of vibe seems to fit this vocalist better, and his gloomy vocal and mid-range sounds stellar here; in the second verse, as he pushes into high range again, he almost has a way of reminding me of Danzig. The rhythmic guitar chugging still has the thrash tagging all over it, but the macabre ambiance is, without a doubt, borrowed from the epic doom books. ”Do what you will with my remains” also happens to be a fucking fantastic lyric. The on-cue (but still fun) build-up at 2.54 has the rhythm guitar getting the ball rollin’ effortlessly and without any problems; that section’s always catchy as fuck, no matter what kind of riffs happen to pop up; I haven’t heard one bad idea in there at all for this whole span. The accelerating drum roll, at that moment, seems to be of a purely NWOBHM nature. The melodic guitar work also happens to correspond to this genre; it’s stupidly groovy and kickass. The leads are, yet again, top-shelf stuff; they’re centered on speed in the case of this part, but never lose their sense of direction. The end round-about is a fist-wavin’ type of deal. The title-track happens to be a bit of a letdown in comparison, which got me scratching my head. Still, this fucked up introductory main groove is rocking its balls out. Front man Julian Mendez does the fairly ordinary type of delivery though. The riffs in the verses sound a little scattered, but the main groove is bound to remind all that these guys’ inspiration reserve is BOSS. The vocal line in the chorus is a tad odd, nevertheless, and the swaying riffs in the background could’ve sounded more elaborate, and literally better. So far, the main groove is this tune’s strongest bet. Still, as a whole, it’s inexplicably catchy. There’s a really cool lead coming in on cue, but it still feels like the song is a tad flat in comparison with the others. Plus, at that moment, I didn’t get what the singer was vouching for, and he’s pretty much the one element steering the wheel of this track in particular.

Both ”For Your Faith” and ”Raise Your Fist” also had a way of giving me the itch to yawn. The former starts out with quite the thunderous gigawave of chugging rhythms and pounding drumming. Said pattern then makes way for a very simplistic and lazy main riff that had me already wary. It goes into a descending fashion in the first verse, and I guess it sounds okay, rather than explosive, or fired up. This main half-riff is disappointing. The drumming goes into this nice gallop at 1.38, and that could’ve lasted longer; it breathed some energy into an otherwise lifeless tune. It’s very surprisingly flat. 2.55 offers a slight variation in the vocal line at last, with the singer going higher in register, and a nice melodic solo, along with the rhythmic chugging going into a different direction, finally show a glimmer of hope. It’s like the song finally woke from that huge doze following the moment you pass out from the drinking session of the century. This part sounds cool as fuck and is FULL of hooks. To the brim, baby. ”Raise Your Fist” starts off on this steady drum gallop I think works so much in this drummer’s favor. There’s a nice rhythmic pattern going atop in the guitar department, but it has a way of fading to the background, and the drumming’s all that’s truly audible. Then, the singer comes in and pumps some serious power into the whole. It seems groove catches on more around 1.17, and the chorus is acceptable, I guess. It seems to drag its claws just a tad, along with the rest of the track, but it’s not completely devoid of appeal. Obviously, the on-cue solo sounds good… all this being said, this tune feels like the déjà-vu, and strongly unexciting type of deal. By 2.54, that ”acceptable” chorus is really, really tame. Even as the Mendez goes into epic near-wails, I’m too bored to take notice.

”Heretic” had me going ”finally, here’s another one of those fast and urgent tunes this band knows to cook up so perfectly”. The chugging is super frenetic atop of gallopy drumming. It has this NWOBHM tint again, without mistake. The frontman pushes on a lot and sounds good as all hell. The riffage is very simplistic, but it JUST works. Everything is catchy and breezy, with a clear direction. The basswork ’round 1.21 definitely hails from the Steve Harris school of thought; props. The soloing going atop of this particular section is freakin’ ace, but short-lived. Still, this type of mini song duration fits this band well; they cram plenty of kickassery within even that tiny sort of length. ”Child of War” has the meanest introductory riffage, which instantly reminded me, this time, of the older wave of BHM, thanks to the Motörhead oomph it’s all happily soaking in. The midtempo drum gallop and the riffs def correspond to the works of Lem’s fam, although the guitar sound sure as shit has more bite. The chorus is catchy as all get-out, and the vocal is just awesome. The melodic soloing accompanying the main riffage around the end is especially bombastic. ”Police State” is the californian roadrock’ish, shiny and slick dime thrown in the basket. The melodic main riff at the beginning has this classic sound. The downtempo drumming and the chugging also do their job right. This has plenty of bite, and the vocal is flawless by now; actually, the chorus is driven by the force of the vocal line. The structure is simple, and hits the nail on its goddamned head. The wailin’ solo is wondrous. ”The End of the World” is a lot goofier, which doesn’t take anything away from its hurricane Katrina force. There’s sort of a doomy feel to its type of kickstart; it truly fits this band well, this vibe. The mid-tempo gallop of the drumming atop ape bass drum goodness erupts into this cool section of familiar-sounding, but still absolutely fun riffage cobwebs. The verses are energized and frenetic, and the leadwork and thick chugging work along with this killer approach to drumming to make this a heavy face melter, regardless of how comical the direction of the riffs happens to be.

”Let Me Begin Again” could be called an instrumental outro of sorts. It’s definitely gloomy. The melody at the beginning is very ”Phantom of the Opera”-esque. The string work is sort of calculating, with plenty of feel to it, and the electric guitar in the back is warm, fuzzy, and soothing. At 1.30, there’s some particularly epic lead work going on, with effective, and memorable riffs in the background. This has a lovely knack for good melodies, and truly ”bleeds”.

This type of disc reveals one blatant fact: those dudes have SUBSTANCE to bring back to the camp, man. They’re rolling in again for multiple reasons that I just discovered with delight. Whether or not you’re a thrash fan is completely irrelevant here; if you’re an old schooler, regardless of which freakin’ genre you happen to obsessively stick with; you need to love and comprehend this to know where you’re going with your likes and dislikes. This is a prime school lesson taken straight from the dusty books of the masters; open the fucking things and get readin’!

Opener ”Deprived” is the sole take on a truly black n’ roll approach I actually enjoy out of the two songs that carry this sort of endeavor on this relatively short record. It has a fairly dirty and doomy intro, and immediately brings the word Accessible to mind, which was one of FT’s main guns on the previous effort, and frankly, it comes off as being in perfect shape, still, at least in the case of this tune. It still has a blackened/proggy first verse showcasing a very signature stamp on the guitar sound that really is very hard to resist, even for someone that doesn’t necessarily get into this latest wave of proggier and shoegazier bands that seem to take over the scene since ’bout ’09. The chorus is absolutely memorable, sounding no less than desolate, even in the midst of a track with a rock feel. All the patterns are recurring and that’s all well and good, cos they’re fucking fun to listen to, exactly for what they are. It’s heartfelt and firing on all cylinders at the same time, which sure as hell is something not everyone attempts with immediate success, or any sort of an acceptable result at all. It doesn’t get boring, and damned near reaches the seven minute mark. I’m especially digging the doomy riffs around 3.06, and 3.33 has this shoegazy cue that, as I’ve been emphasizing plenty, sure is no sort of new terrain for FT. It’s gotta be said that in the first half of this release, it seems to always be incorporated in the right space of a tune so that it really works with the rest of its elements and doesn’t overstep and drown out their efficiency. It’s definitely the case here, and hence, sounds particularly brilliant. This leads into bone-chilling bleakness that I just adore. It’s beautifully enchanting with great leads tossed in, that really sound rather mesmerizing. May I add, they’re far too rare on this record, I’m left with a craving for more of these after seven songs.

The title track could easily fool anyone into thinking the black metal is actually happening full blast all through this track, but it’s quick to shape up into something else in this particular project’s typical fashion. It still seems to take a straight dive into that more darkly psychedelic area of thought and pattern the main man indicates while talking about this album as a whole. This feel is more obvious here than on the previous song, but that torch definitely gets carried throughout, and maybe more insistently further on, although this is a neat kickstart, and certainly varied. It’s actually the most nuanced song on this whole ordeal. It takes about two minutes to actually develop into this unfurling of instinctive journeys, but the wait is worth it. At 1.37, this mind-numbing scream of the main man’s tags along with phantomatic (get that volume UP; it won’t kill the ambiance, but simply add an extra layer of awesome to these tracks and especially the slightly meh ones) leads and a steady, energized drum gallop. It all has this epic frostbitten feel, but it leans more towards the Swedish melodic metal overtones than the genuinely Norwegian black metal mantra as it progresses. It soon (unexpectedly this time) takes the shoegaze turn with very enthused and interesting basswork, although that’s quick to go straight back on the main road the song initially picked. It’s all very well-connected and all the parts mesh perfectly, although the mid-paced stroll around 4.55 seems less enticing than the rest of the trickery. It feels like a flat area of the song, if anything, but as it progressively goes into a doomier, more southern rock’ish mood at 5.30, I suddenly get what the whole point is, and it wasn’t easy to foresee; who could’ve guessed this type of general stylistic idea for the song as a whole could go there? This is the main thing I dig about my Forgotten Tomb. It doesn’t care about the roadmap, and simply goes where it damn well sees fit, never fearing impulsivity, or almost never.

”Cold Summer” is also absolutely sweet for what it is and blends the filthiness of the doom core the man loves to explore, alongside the polar opposite being the shoegaze avenue he’s trying to wrap up this monster into. It’s an interesting sort of contradiction and yet doesn’t seem like a genuine one here. It’s definitely unique. Anyhow, the intro definitely swims in this shoegaze ambiance. It’s contemplative and smooth, but somewhat completely deranged all the same. It dives into a sort of a blend of doom and post-rock in the first verse, putting lots of emphasis on extremely soul-draining chords. It’s a very raw and lovely section. The slow-paced drumming also has plenty of punch, and the vocal is, yet again, puking out demonical and bipolar emotion like fuck-all matters. It’s impossible not to dig the incredibly dirty guitarwork, and the stumbly, almost zombified drumming (in this case, it sounds absolutely fitting and awesome, make no mistake). It drives the point home in a stellar and immediate manner. There’s even more urgency to the second verse thanks to that same drumming that, in this case, goes against the grain to stick out, on more of a furious roll. Still, I’m preferring the mid-paced stroll underneath the man’s screams, and the way it kicks back into the thick and genuinely doom dwellings. At 4.56, the riffery sounds almost more maniacal than it did to begin with, and a lot filthier, and even downright friggin’ sexier. Against all odds, 5.53 starts cruising along the sidelines of what sounds like actual black metal with some atonal and strongly eerie background stringwork. And I’ll be damned, it sounds like classic F.T. and is one of the highlights of this album as a sole fleeting passageway this tune decided to take off the damned cuff.

The fourth track is the moment where I lost some understanding for the general direction and pacing of things. Actually, I was horrified at this song. Not only did the title (”Let’s Torture Each Other”) point blank said everything about how goofy it’s bound to be, but I ended up staring a Satyricon-goes-MTV-friendly piece of shit in the face. The semi-dark alternative sound of the intro was okay to my ears at first, with its accessible main bassline I didn’t think really reeked at that point. What made me jump straight out of my skin was that it seemed like it was ruining the general endeavor of what I’d heard so far into this generally promising deal. 56 seconds in, there’s suddenly more of a malevolent intent surfacing up, thanks to which I realized this was gonna be a black and roll tune, without fail. I hence knew it was gonna have absolutely all the aspects of a filler. In all due respects, it’s not the worst stinker I’ve ever heard; it’s still sorely unnecessary and uninspired. In fact, it becomes a zoneout as soon as the second verse kicks in, which doesn’t feel like it took too long, regardless of the song being a quarter past six minutes long. About three minutes in, the keyboard sample barging in sounds almost oddly techno-friendly, and the acoustic stringwork is lame and sleep-inducing at best. Everything veers towards a mid-paced stroll that has nothing to do with the rest of the song, but instead of that being the blessing I was hoping it would be, it only comes off as directionless and piss poor. Things definitely get better when the soaring background leads get back on board. At least, I can say the feeling is definitely back. It’s the sole part of the tune that I manage to dig, albeit the doomy kick at 4.25 is a strongly (and oddly, all things considered) sub-par one. It feels this song consciously keeps on trying to get into that radio-friendly schtick, which sure isn’t the man’s best bet, especially on this one album. On the previous effort, interestingly enough, it was done well; here, it simply shouldn’t exist

Luckily, ”Love Me Like You’d Love the Death” has this bleak depressive/contemplative mindset that I absolutely love, and it predictably enough has nothing to do with whatever the previous track was on. This hat most definitely fits this guy’s head better. The lead work develops into quite the skillful and libertine series of wanderings. It’s very calculating, and hollow to the bone. The vocal also gets more and more insistent as the song goes, which is one of this project’s most kickass feats; this front man sure can wail. The chorus is pretty cool; and, again, the lead work is the whole magic of this one tune. The second verse is the same as the first, but considering this approach works well for what it is, it ain’t a flaw. It’s not trying to be overflashy; it’s authentic and true to its core, and that’s how I like my Forgotten Tomb, period. The mid-section around 5.20 is truly in this calculating and low vibe that doesn’t seem to go anywhere, but interestingly enough, this full-circle motion illustrates a wandering into that emotional spot that’s simply endless and stuck in a rut, and this illustration has a valid point in this picture. It’s not really a song that evolves; it’s like it’s sitting into a profound sorrow and wallowing in it, and I would think this is exactly what this music is trying to express most times. ”Adrift” is a tad less memorable to these ears, even though it tags along with the previous cut in terms of a mindframe. The kick ass clean vocal goes atop an energetic drum pace that quickly switches back to the high-pitched screams and the slow stroll for what feels like a good and balanced affect at first. There’s lots of variation in this drum pattern. The background string work sure ain’t that hollow; it’s sort of airy and almost Alcest‘y here. Most the song’s patterns are recurring, making it a touch more accessible; still, it’s a different kinda cat. That being said, the contemplative bass work embraced by the acoustic string work about mid-track sort of force things to get plainly boring at that point. 4.50 seems to indicate some kind of build-up towards something promising, and the urgency is definitely on board, if not all *that* mind-shattering; that was a false prophet, going back to the main stroll of the verses underneath the heartfelt and still wonderful wails of the front man’s. I guess it works for what it is. It’s far from original and even pretty run-of-the-mill by now, although it ain’t entirely dated yet.

Final cut ”Nullifying Tomorrow” fails to convince as well, at least on this end. There’s an engaging entrance into the matter with plenty of urgency to it though. Still, it was already pretty damned clear it wasn’t gonna be a major departure from the rest of the album, which has its good, and clearly bad sides at this point. The mood is definitely there; the variation isn’t. Considering this guy has many takes on his own approach, he could’ve kept on mixing them up, especially as he wraps the record. The leads seem to want to take the reigns at 1.41 but they’re too damned quick to fade off. If they were a lot more present, they’d amp up this mood he’s striving to get across. This is far too linear. Actually, even by the three minute mark, it doesn’t manage to stun at all. The sound’s extremely layered in some places, although misproportioned in terms of the production; at 3.28, there’s FAR too much echo on the acoustic string work. It buries the rest to a point where even the drums are particularly choking up under the rug. 3.50 finally introduces some kind of a bonghit of a slowing in pace, although it dives into the lamest acoustic string work again. About 5 minutes in though, thanks to the ultimate despair of the vocals, the feel of it all gets quite shiver-inducing anyway. The leads come back into the tableau on this very cool cue, and the tune is smoothly rounded out by circular string work and bass work, atop of very relaxed mid-paced drumming.

I’m left puzzled by the second half of this release, for the most part. I’m quite sure this is only a valley in the experimentation process this man (and band) is on, and I also know the purpose is absolutely valid, and that it will pay off in the long run. There’s some goodness to be found herein, especially for diehards of the softer endeavors this sound can take, which goes straight against the general idea that it was supposed to be *entirely* darker than previous albums; still, the potential of the record’s best assets is strong enough to make this qualify as a very good disc, even though it doesn’t quite reach the threshold of the greatness it could’ve been capable of pulling blindfolded.\par

”Imprisonned By Fear” reveals a slightly muddy production that seems to stabilize as the album progresses, to eventually end up as relatively perfect for this type of record, which is whether an actual correction of levels, or the fact that my ear stopped picking up on the grainy’ism going on thanks to the major kickassery at hand on the musicianship front. The drumming is energized, the riffage is dandy, and I find I actually love the gurgly vocals of John Huber (ex- I Declare War), which I heard some divided opinions about thus far. To me, it simply fucking aces throughout the entire ride. It never lets up; at all. The groovery, as previously mentioned, is this record’s dominating element; it’s a winning bet in all the contexts we have here. The riffage seems a tad on and off with some signs of reluctance as the tune progresses, but that’s incredibly subtle, and no one’s gonna care enough to grab a microscope and nitpick; it seems the effectiveness of the drumming and the vocals makes up for it so well, the flaw virtually doesn’t exist. The neoclassical lick at 1.14 is no less than stellar, and the melodies are also well-nailed. The riffage, at 1.31, gets a lot more threatening and thick, with a tasty hardcore stomp going on around the end of the cut. ”Tyrannical Decay”, my personal fave (and no, not simply because it was chosen as first single; this is definitely about the number of hooks at handreach) kicks off on a fairly addictive groove roll as well, and the bass drum sounds no less than orgasmic here. I dig the variations in the pacing of the riffage (the main pattern is SO badass) and this skin-breaking drumming. The hooks seriously abound. This is a truly old school and true-to-the-recipe type of brutality. It’s no Programmed-to-Innovate machine, but truthfully, the familiar feel to it is still something to be worshiped up to this point.

”Corporate Harvest” has this fucking frenetic intro, with a nice kick to the drumming and a generally ape presentation. The old school hardcore influence crawling in ’round 0.33 adds a ton of ‘tude to this (I never thought I’d ever put those words down on paper in the history of my life). About one minute in, the hyperspeed patterning doesn’t seem that original, but there’s something about this front man’s vocal that makes it sound apocalyptic and far beyond inhuman. The hardcore slamming, being so well balanced out with the brutality going atop, both styles throwing the ball back and forth; it all makes for yet another track I can’t argue with. It’s catchy all the way through; getting bored would require some seriously poor knowledge and understanding of what it takes to make violence worthwhile musically. ”Torment in Salvation” is the point where I started noticing a couple minuscule, but still a tad more obvious fuckups. The riffage is more reluctant, and the groovery sounds stuck in a bit of a box. Still, the heavy duty drumming is a really great consolation. 1.03 minutes in, it feels the grooves finally sort of break free from their constipation, and I’ll even add that there’s a tinge of neoclassical feeling in the air. The ”marching” drums going atop make for a nice affect. This goes into a full blown melodic section that’s simply no less than awing. The soloing also happens to be stellar. ”Asphyxiation Through Consumption” is definitely a highlight in various departments. The intro is characterized by solid groove and varying drum patterns. That seems to get slightly watered down by an obsessive need for speed, although this linearism is quick to get corrected. I’m instantly reminded of Dying Fetus with the deathcore going on at 1.03. Seconds later, the buildup showcasing even more varied takes on the drumming is just massive. The wall to wall guitarwork is truly riffy, never missing the mark. 1.44 also has a good groove section; it’s all really really tight, and keeps on being this tight, for the most part, ’til the last note of the album. The moments where I had a feeling there was some wear and tear to that concept made me wonder if I was listening to the same band; they don’t have a reputation for losing headway, for damned sure.

”Remnants of Freedom” has an intro à la modern-day Cannibal Corpse, with melodies that definitely have a way of reminding me of their latest records. Even some slightly technical-sounding licks make a phantomatic appearance 43 seconds in. The downtempo hardcore-ish pacing of things a couple nano’s later fits this band perfectly, but I gotta say the varying approaches to the drumming have a way, all of their own, of infusing multiple styles of DM into the swing of things. That’s totally classy. ”Dissection of Origins” truly got me kinking an eyebrow with its proggy lickery in the intro; I half-expected it would be an entirely different kinda deal. When the typical groovery kicks back in, it’s easy to tell it’s the same ole; and that’s perfectly okay by me, but it was definitely an interesting suggestion going on there. 48 seconds in though, I hear a clear lack of coordination between the drumming and the guitars, or maybe the drumming technique wasn’t the best one he could possibly pick to tag along with *those* types of riffs. Nevertheless, 1.34 has a nice and distracting pile of melodic ideas that go straight into a buildup, keeping the whole from falling into this drastically linear mode. There’s some nice atonality and melody progressions going on in the small interlude, and that’s easy to appreciate. ”A Bleak Future”, regardless of being good for what it is, sure ain’t perfect. The cutting and dirty intro riff is the coolest thing out there.

Again, the ‘core spirit of this track just rocks my socks. The stompy drumming, the nice variations in the vocal approach, it’s all very engrossing. Still, there’s a few odd choices of riffs here and there ’til about 1.21. It seems the emphasis on thick groovery is often cut too short. 1.49 tries to go for some hint of a melody that sounds like it’s turfing somewhere between atonality and fatigue. The solo is fine though, but the buildup around the end of the cut seems to be there only for the sake of saving face. This sure ain’t the best tune on here. All I truly liked is the intro riff, to be brutally honest. ”Oppression by Faith” and ”Cultivating Humanity”, on the flipside, are nifty little fuckers. The former has groove, and even progressive tendencies to the riffage, and to the basswork I wish I’d heard for longer than a split second. It’s somehow nicely different in terms of the pacing of the development of the ideas. The vocal is especially fired up here. ”C.H.” is no bored to death dwelling either; the riffage ’round the beginning sucks, but it seems to escalate towards a melodic buildup with more skilled drumming to boot. There’s a very simplistic but efficient hook going on shortly after the cool part at 0.41, and the downtempo slaying following it makes it obvious, again, that this band’s familiar array of tools is simply the one they should stick to. Simply because it’s fucking beautiful that way, needing no sort of replacement spare fallback experiments to make it a safe bet. ‘Round 1.47, the drums seem to be centerpiece (moreso than the guitars), and the solo seems oddly cut in half and slightly reluctant, but that’s a small problem.

There’s simply no way it sounds half as tired as ”Earth’s Downfall”. The thick ‘core groove at the beginning sounds cool at first but is quick to feel a bit old. Very ordinary progressive riffage atop stupidly muffled drumming is how this gets served at first. Around 0.50, the riffage visibly tries to go somewhere, but I simply don’t get what the hell it’s doing. 1.13 attempts to forge a nice pattern with slightly accentuated drumming, but it still sounds weak at best ’til the techniques start to vary a touch at 1.44. ”The Everlasting Plague”, as I pretty much expected, is dizzyingly fucking good. The intro riffage is wonderful, going in all directions, and sounds especially gorgeous when it goes into a downtempo stomp; that part sounds very state-of-the-art. 0.28 is a cool lection with some nice swirly licks. This feels like some sort of a bullet storm. 1.12 has more of these nicely tight-knit licks going on, with more neoclassical influence rather evident. This whole tune works as a buildup with more nice melodies and nifty grooves closing it out.

All things considered, and absolutely all, even the couple question marks along the way, petty as they are; ”The Time of Great Purification” is simply yet another fucking awesome delivery from this band, showcasing just how consistent and knowledgeable they are about what they really care for in death metal. I don’t think I truly needed to be reassured on any other sort of aspect at all before going into this listening session, and I’m sure as hell satisfied. They’re not going anywhere; they’ll stick to their guns and fucking use ’em up, without a trace of an afterthought. Great job. More please.

The relatively short ”Goodbye to Everything” says a lot about the oddball fantasy-game nature of the ambiance of this release, but as cheesy as I thought it was at first, I realized quickly enough that it’s far from being horribly overwhelming all the way through; it simply happens to make bits of the album pleasantly and comically fucked up. There’s something dramatic about this intro. ”Astral Body” kicks off with the exact type of complex riffery I was longing for when throwing this album on. It’s already obvious there will be a ton of crack-smoking time signatures thrown all across the board, which I also happen to find exquisite. Between 1.10 and 1.32, it seems the tendency of the riffage goes more and more into a Ron Jarzombek direction, which doesn’t take anything away from it’s generally promising stroll. The first verse is psychotically fucking weird, blending in death metal and jazz elements at equal measures, with a slightly cartoonish and spacey feel to the overall envelope, also bringing the Devin Townsend influence into the picture without having to use subtlety. Attempting to follow the direction of the solos herein is quite the fascinatingly sophisticated experience. The most brutal and chaotic part of the tune, around 3.19, is definitely very syncopated and skin-peeling. The build-up at 3.42 accompanied by frantic blast beats is pretty killer, showing that violence is definitely an aspect of these guys’ refinery that works fucking wonders, at least when utilized in a well-calculated way, instead of spread all across the piece to the point of sounding redundant, which is the main flaw this record hops on when it stretches out to a debilitating length and seems to forget to grab on to its best assets; but that doesn’t happen for at least a good while. The excellency is solidly maintained, for the most part. ”Lay Your Ghosts to Rest” goes to prove the vast majority of this record sure ain’t chock-full of boring ass dwellings on the typical by-the-book formula; the technicality is concise, just as much as the rage is sonically impulsive. A jazzy and fusion part follows this sort of intro with bass work that takes a lot of space all of a sudden, for a very good and fuller affect. It ends up really driving the sound. The blast beats are also aplenty. This has plenty of fucking character and a solid backbone, I really can’t complain. It might even be more crowd-drawing than the first tune altogether. 1.34 throws in this clean singing part atop of a circus-y melody that’s bound to make everyone realize this is a bunch of guys having a blast doing what they do instead of pretending they’re the sole genuine Berkeley under the sun. That kind of melodic valley that might seem like a big gaping hole in the structure to some people shows it’s genuinely a conceptual journey and not a compact delivery and whilst it’s the very thing I usually hate to listen to the most, since day one; with this album, there’s enough skill to the choice of variation cues to make damned sure you don’t switch to another record out of sheer exhaustion. There’s most often an element keeping you sitting around with it.

The melody, in this case, chooses to evolve into this mightily technical prowess underneath a very neoclassical solo, which is pretty fanciable. 3.25 dives into blast beats and a dark symphonic feel that truly fits eerily well here. Again, there seems to be a lot of Devin influence fighting its way into this turf, mainly because of the very visible expertise in the field of blending technicality, violence and downright weirdness. The fucked up time signatures in the riffage atop of a kickass and steady drumroll that gets punchier and punchier even as it goes through a series of techniques… it’s a thing of cinematic beauty. You gotta admit; it’s hard not to love the absurdly cool goofiness of a brutal as fuck assault intertwined with circussy and easy-listening elevator music samplings. It’s damned near irresistible cos it’s as far from serious as it is serious. It’s all very precise and well thought out wankery. Actually, the riffage especially is so fucked up it’s addictive. 6.33 gets quite comically loungy. It’s a contemplative and relaxed valley of the tune I would’ve normally despised but it goes back into symphonic epicness quickly enough and actually even goes towards the outskirts of Symphony X terrain; proggy, without the element of brutality. It’s catchy as all hell, regardless of being psychotically fusionny as it gets. ”Autumn” is a fitting, albeit frankly useless electronic interlude. It’s psychedelic, without doing anything more for me. ”Extremophile Elite” doesn’t lose any kind of headway in terms of showcasing the most important ingredients of the sauce in aggressive daylight. There’s no problem with those samey elements taking over again, at least up to this point. Catchy progressiveness is the main factor here from the get go. It picks up straight from the riffage pattern of the previous tune, showing that this is definitely a continuous and concise journey. 51 seconds in, it’s clear to me that this is gonna be a very breakdown-friendly tune amongst lots of other hardcore elements. It even goes onto what seems like a groove-oriented thrash rampage at some point. But the strongest element of this song so far is definitely the deadly as fuck hardcore slamming intertwined with the main prog roll. At 3.21, I can’t help but to think of Lamb of God in terms of the guitar sound, which, in my book, is far from being an insult. It’s Lamb of God on a seriously interesting drug trip. It’s all quick to get weirder again with a very goofy and grainy straight-out-of-a-cartoon snippet at 4.45, showing that these dudes are on no sort of shortage of laid-back and comfortable madness. The neoclassical and symphonic passages of this tune constantly taking over are very airy, refreshing, and teethy. Around 6.25 though, there seems to be far too much focus on a progressive part that stretches out into oblivion, which is quickly corrected by a very introspective and emotional passage of the tune with lyrics that center on solitude. The vocal delivery really gets that feeling out to you in record time. Still, there’s a tad too many fusion-y bits dragged all across the room here; they’ve already proven their point throughout the song without needing to bleed it dry. It feels like a bit of a leech in this sound by now. Less is definitely more up to this point. Still, the way the end round-about of this song shows that these guys can blend the force and simplicity of hardcore with other far fetched styles is very skillful and impressive enough to manage to make me forget some oddities that induce a touch of boredom when utilized with excess.

”Parallax” drags in Pink Floyd/Division Bell-types of leads, to my utmost pleasure, and ”The Black Box” goes onto an interestingly dark and elegant piano melody that has, again, a very tale telling and cinematic feel, which is the direct point of doing interludes. If that grit ain’t part of the tableau, an interlude becomes an instantaneous filler to these ears. The vocalist sounds more and more like the former Queen front man, and the guitar and bass work both sound equally grand. Speaking of which, ”Telos” has the catchiest possible bass line in its intro. The instrumentation as a whole creates a chaotic fucking downpour of lunar madness at its best. The main riff is rather effective, and it’s like the technicality is infusing an additional dose of catchiness into the groovy stuff rather than extirpating its accessibility factor. The leads are awesome and truly elaborate. The world-music-trippin’ mid-track march sounds a tad out of place and goofy as hell thanks to those reefer leads in the background, but 3.18 is the cue to arguably the best part of the track and one of the key points of this record; it manages to make a smooth loungy passage sound psychedelic enough to match the coolness of vintage psyrock. The faint electronic element is a good backbone for the main structure of the melody of this bit; and I usually hate anything electronic in rock or metal. From the moment the guitars and the drums kick in, it’s impossible not to get this major Queen-on-crack impression; it’s the best compare I’ve ever heard, which I unfortunately didn’t pen myself. As the vocalist goes ”Goodbye to All I’ve Known” over that pattern, I’m getting a whole bunch of shivers. I also love the way it escalates into this noisy and chaotic climax. It’s very doomsday-like, and illustrates the whole point of this album’s storyline. This, against all odds, turns into hardcore-driven psychopathy. This type of HC actually goes towards death metal here. Technical lickery in the back keeps this train on the same railing as usual, but it still seems more frantic and aggressive than on the previous cuts.

”Bloom” is, without question, the oddest piece of work this side of Mars. It has this fascinating piano melody in the intro blending in with an electronic element I find, again, fitting. There’s a lot of goofiness taking over really quickly and the circussy thematic seems to take this song literally by storm. Still, the vocal performance is the best I’ve heard coming outta this band since day one. It goes through various keys with impressive, natural skill. The lead work is also on a roll here, going in all directions. I gotta point blank admit that the worst crime here though, is the reproduction of a Beach Boys classic at 1.21; where in the fuck this comes from, I really don’t know. I guess BTBAM is the sole band that could get away with it, but it still feels like a joke to me. There’s still a bunch of hints of brutality in here, against all odds and probabilities; you just never know what the heck you’re gonna get. Still, as much as it’s the most bizarre thing ever to come out of this band, it’s also the most technical song of all. Patterns like the one at 2.59, especially, allow no mistake. This is no redundant fella. ”Melting City” is basically LoG meets Blotted Science. It’s extremely odd, but also just as catchy. It’s accessible, WHILE staying completely whacked out on technicality. Still, it seems to tone that factor down a touch in comparison with the previous track. The swirly leads are awesome, but this clean chorus underneath rainbowy melodies is kind of a wonder. Slamming hardcore still comes back to the forefront at 2.07 and defines itself as the most present element in this song; and from that song and on, it starts taking a little too much space in more of a linear fashion; the dreaded flaw I couldn’t stop mentioning since the beginning of this review. The sweetness of the choruses here, in comparison with the gnarliness of the verses, seems to show two very different and distinct bands in the same rehearsal space. 3.08 is straight out of the blue; acoustic string work and a flute come into the picture, which is the kind of experiment the whole band seems particularly excited to work with this time around. It unfortunately does nothing for me. The basswork is the main point of interest here, reminding me of the work of ex Obscura bassist. The Division Bell‘y leadwork slips back into the picture for a very déja-vu but still cool affect and the vocals are gripping and calming. They tell tall tales of sadness and confusion, dragging in a major buildup of brutality afterward; that, in and of itself, is the second keypoint of this record. 7.16 goes back to the main pattern of the tune although it seems to dwell far too long on the same mood; it’s like another one of those concept album ditches that just doesn’t know when to end. The background lick even sounds a little too familiar in terms of a lounge and fusion-y mindset. Fortunately, the symphonic feel of previous tracks interrupts this long ass bore with a flamboyance that’s far from exhausting.

”Silent Flight Parliament”, the last actual song to speak of, starts off on a promising roll but then makes it obvious this kind of long and rich journey is a lot of stuff to digest and that by now, there’s gonna be one element of the whole tableau sounding a little tired and off-the-rails. I’m digging the progressive riff ’round the beginning that says a lot about emotional reluctance, and the piano and thunderous drum work also add a cool touch. The very down tuned feel of the first verse is nicely singular. The vocal line and background riff seems to go back to the main melody of ”Telos” though, which makes a few more appearances throughout. The hardcore fit that follows this was entirely foreseeable though, thus feels kinda boring. The clean part directly following it is also something the previous tunes did with absolute ease, and now, it’s getting simply too easy. The trickery’s obvious by now; the songs kind of melt into each other during this half of the record. Track-defining overtones are still present, but not in an amount large enough. Regardless of this problem, there’s still obviously something to sink your teeth into; this is BTBAM after all. The vocals are powerful going through various ranges. This ain’t the most riffy of songs, though. The leads take over from time to time, but the RIFFS are mostly absent. S’like the rhythm guitars are simply a background, faint rumble. By 4.40, this accessible, run-of-the-mill hardcore is boring to death, and it’s like even the progressive elements are always going full circle in heavily recurring patterns. It’s even like only the melodic parts of the tune characterize it as different from the rest of this batch. 6.01 introduces a drum pattern that once again reminds me of Telos, and I guess 6.40 gets more original with the melodic aspect going atop the groovy thrashcore roll. Oddball sampling is soon to kick in, followed by a nod to world-music that sounds a lot more hypnotic than I would’ve thought this stylistic bend could do, and then, suddenly, a very effective melody takes over, and a rocking, high-profile solo barges in, taking effective riffage with it. I’m not sure I get the inclusion of a dark alternative dwelling. It made me zone out almost immediately, right up until epileptic brutality and contemplative technicality took over again followed by a luxurious and posh violin-driven part, taking the neoclassicality back to the forefront. The outro is quick to turn into elevator music although it started off with awesome leadwork.

What I could remember from BTBAM, before I penned this review (and, admittedly, I wasn’t extremely familiar with the band or their back catalog before jumping into this), was that they weren’t this incredibly violent band. I also (at least) knew, and rightfully so, that they’re not trying to be the most technical-on-purpose dill weeds on the face of mother earth; they care more about mood, and it happens to come off as technical in their case, rather than being purposefully brought forward; it seems authentic, and basking into their pool of natural influences, along with the multiple fusion elements present on this album. This came from the heart, and it’s definitely heart-warming. It still doesn’t seem to be the kind of record I’ll throw on repeatedly as much as the one I’ll enjoy with a lot more fondness in small doses. You don’t eat top class gourmet cuisine at every meal; it would get boring and atrociously ordinary. The same can be said about virtually anything I know from BTBAM.

Firsthand, you gotta know that some of these tracks contain some majorly gripping series of arrangements and shifts in mood that are well-entwined and skillfully thought-out; that leads to uber long tracks (often reaching around 9 minutes) feeling like they’re just under the four-minute span. Also, some passages are into such an opposite stylistic voicing, they make it sound like this ain’t the same album no more and we’re talking about a different band – and in some cases, this can be a major no-no and indicate a lack of focus; here, it’s refreshing, entertaining, and showing that these guys can do a lot more than stick to one single comfort zone. These are the major chunks of awesome that make this record one that’s cool to listen to; that being said, it’s easy to identify the flat avenues, and compare them with the climaxes that hit truly hard in a memorable manner. Like in pretty much any recipe where there are daring blends of ingredients, some tricks are absolute failures, whilst others are truly noteworthy and awing.

The title-track is one of the two largest pieces of work at hand, and it does go through its multiple phases of visionary ideals and whilst not all of those work in this wooden frame, it’s still pretty damned impressive to sit and count them out, and for what it is, it’s a daring track progression and meshing of patterns and shades of grey. There’s already interesting character to the introductory string work, and the huge emphasis on ambiance is one that’s emotionally disturbing. The production is incredibly vast and suits this genre as well as can be. It’s spotless and roomy as it gets. In the beginning, it’s an incredibly smooth taunter, taking all the time it needs to develop, albeit I can say for damned sure that 2.50 is one imposing slam in the back of the neck. The slicing guitar sound is warmly appreciated on this end. Even the touch of keyboards seems to utilize the most appropriate sounds. I’m also loving the dirtier, thicker doom riffs that make a few appearances here and there. There seems to be a good balance between rough and soft in this picture, which is, no questions asked, a pretty stellar skill to have and bring forth. There’s a nicely done violin patterning in the second verse. This being all well and good, 4.39 is a part I have a lot of trouble comprehending. Whilst it’s still reasonably haunting, it seems to interrupt the whole flow of the tune, thrown in the can at an awkward angle, at absolute random, like a recycled piece. It’s very protuberant and should’ve been tossed out IMO. It gets a touch more contemplative afterward and builds up into one unexpectedly tempestuous part around 5.58 that feels brutal, even though the instrumentation isn’t necessarily fast or aggressive; it’s the meshing of that one passage with smoother laywork preceding it, and also the grit of the riffs, delivery of the vocals, and precision of the production’s emphasis on each and every element that strongly helps bring out the fucking essence of this sound ’til bled black. There’s no way in hell this tune feels like it’s ten whole minutes long – it passes by incredibly fast, with its wealth of variation. It’s seasoned and original, for better or worse.

”This Cut is the Deepest” doesn’t sit quite right with me. Still, the clean vocal and main acoustic riff in the first verse is mildly appealing. It all seems to begin to drag far too quickly though. It’s not an entirely bad song – it just gets very tame on quite the steady roll not that far down the line. The chorus seems to try and grasp to reach deeper around its middle part; and terribly fails to hit the mark. I’m more moved by the doomier part around 2.57 with its phantomatic leads sprinkled atop somewhat symphonic arrangements; this one type of hat fits this band better no doubt. Following this kind of twist in pace, the softer approach sounds a tad more efficient – the balancing truly makes all the difference in the world and gives a better, more striking impact to otherwise slightly laggy bits and pieces of these creations. That’s a bit of a fix-up right there, but this tune sure ain’t up to par with its predecessor. It’s an entirely different type of cat. That being said, ”Hate, Lead the Way” is the main moment on this record where it feels like a new band is taking center stage. Huge drums and a raspy, high-register vocal make for a venomous entrance into the matter; it’s definitely a lot more violent than anything I’d come to expect from these guys. I’m loving the sound of the guitars going into the first verse – I’m hearing great, ancient-sounding riffs atop a steady, mid-tempo march that has a blackened feel, without mistake. It’s a completely different turn for these guys – still, they do nail this style to bits. 3.54 is a cinematic all of its own with various layers of sounds topping each other – it definitely sounds much heavier than anything else on the disc this far. It’s a helluva sweet tune – it’s simple, but houses a mid-section that showcases a lot of this band’s best talents. The pattern shifts in the drumming (around the track wrap-up) are quite creative and explosive.

”Cathedral Walls” goes straight back to the downtempo valleys. Still, there’s a lot of calculating genius to the FX filters laid upon the guitars all through this record, and in the case of this track, in the verses, the feel of the riffs is incredibly desolate, in part because of that one layer alone – each note sounds a lot thicker, for a neat affect back to back with the downtempo stroll, making the whole sound a lot darker very easily. From the moment the piano crawls in with the female vocal and the acoustic though, things get a lot more accessible and easygoing; it ain’t bad for what it is, but simply meh and, again, absolutely not what this band does best. I’m preferring the depth of the verses over the very common, déjà-vu light-headedness of the choruses. 3.39, to my utter enjoyment, is a massively fucking heavy part that seems to be a monstrous buildup, with fast drumming and a good agencing with the symphonic elements again, eventually going into mid-tempo and very effective doom riffs, to then head straight back onto the fast drum roll – that’s also a pretty epic part. This shifts as easily back into the chorus with the soft female vocal – it’s certainly a skillful way to mesh both opposite moods of this song – gotta hand ’em that. The doomy riffs in this second half of the tune are definitely my favorite on this whole record. ”Hearts Wide Shut” is direct proof that the smooth endeavors sure aren’t these guys’ best bet in the context of this record. It all just breezes past, getting quickly forgotten and buried. It ain’t that it sucks ass – it just doesn’t happen to be particularly and especially interesting. Luckily, the chorus is heavier, with genuinely memorable string work underneath the steel. It’s a direct evolution of the riffage utilized in the verses – which ain’t a bad idea, really. There’s a bit of a Daylight Dies mindset going on here, even more noticeably so than on other, softer tracks in this one batch. It’s quite desolate. The second verse has a bit more of a bold acoustic sound which takes my attention a touch more, but nonetheless, it’s still slightly sleep worthy. Even the spoken part over piano doesn’t hit the mark at all. The growled part following it, though, is a lot more epic and fitting, the vocal is more insistent, the guitar’s a lot more slicing and forceful, even going higher in key, with a neat descending doomy riff in the back. The down tempo section afterward with the drum kick is really great; it’s actually definitely an improvement for this song.

”Silent Towers” has somewhat of an engrossing intro followed by yet another soft verse. It’s still well-balanced with heavier sounds, which makes it an okay song, albeit not quite stacking up there with the great ones. Even the chorus, in spite of having some alright leads and fine riffs, is not all that powerful. It’s another tune that breezes by, so far, doing absolutely nothing more. 2.30 is the predictable heavy-hitter part; still, it seems to hold a lot less water than in the previous tune, considering the lame overall package. Still, I’m liking the creativity in the background lead flourishes. This all seems to have more of a dark alternative penchant than the other tunes, making it much more accessible by the same token. ‘’Labyrinth of London (Horror, Pt. 4)’’, on the other hand, is about as breath-taking as the title-track; it’s a big, ginormous chunk of arrangement-succession. It starts with a very different vocal approach for this one fron tman, bathing into a stylistic direction that’s a touch hard to put into a slot. There’s a nice evolution to the riffage here. The slightly progressive main section develops as what sort of feels like a Viking-metal type of vibe. It’s even slightly Amon Amarth’esque, and I gotta straight up admit it’s the last thing I expected from this record. Then, it goes into this completely unlinked and doomy clean-vocal-driven chorus, for a pretty good affect, surprisingly enough. There’s a lot of different stylistic touches to this one tune, dazzling ones at that. It’s a nice balance between types of impact. 3.49 is a nice, down-tempo doom section – a very classic-sounding bit that gets lower in key as it progresses. The spoken part afterwards is very engrossing – it’s very tale telling atop of a smooth, smooooth background. The slightly Opeth‘esque section following it goes into heavy drumming in a very prog and intuitive manner. The riffage is quite atonal and libertine, which makes for a very cool affect. It’s varied enough to keep interest on board, with constantly evolving leads. By the end, that chorus I used to find sub-par is quite shiver-inducing. It’s a really huge track.

”Of Death and Corruption” doesn’t exactly follow that lead. A very typically smooth verse goes into a heavier, growled chorus. This band wins more major points when they aren’t predictable at all. This accessible packaging is lame, and they can do better. That being said, the chorus is good for what it is, but it’s like even all those riffs are somewhat stale compared to what they can pull when they get more impulsive.  The ascension at 3.43 is interesting to say the least – it’s a major increase in aggressiveness that works well here, with a cool drumming technique I’m adamantly digging, and some flourishing in the leads that turns into a neat solo – that, right there, is a great form of entertainment that is far too quick to dive back into a chorus that I just don’t manage to like, main lick included. Nevertheless, I’m loving the bassline and the ambiance leading the way into ”April 14th”. This band knows how to make the *feel* of a track seem heavy, even without the use of drums or loud guitars, when the slow-evolving pace of things doesn’t include the typical acoustic and dreamy keys. The clean-sung chorus is, for once, a team player I would think actually qualifies here. It sinks in nicely, with a clear sense of direction instead of pointless and really half-hearted, directionless bleak for the sake of bleak. The down tempo march with the spoken vocal following it is definitely attention-grabbing; this is a classic funeral doom track from beginning to end, and stellar for exactly what it is. The section around 5.19 is, by far, the most entrancing ambient part on this whole record to me. It’s no less than beautiful. Again, this roomy production really helps this. The piano part underneath the spoken lyrics is equally impactful, and leads into a huge funeral doom passageway that really feels very stampede and crushing.

”Night Will Forgive Us” has a way of reminding me of Amorphis somehow. I’m digging the shift in the drumming pace of the chorus. It goes into a progressive section with a clean-sung vocal, both parts being tightly-knit and well-entwined. The main lick in the verses is dark and appealing. It’s a good tune, with a nice catchiness all around. It rounds out the album quite well. Still, the growled, and significantly heavier ending (around the 5.20 something’s) doesn’t seem to work well here, but it doesn’t last too long. The main patternings of the song are definitely more interesting.

There’s a fucking lot to explore about Swallow the Sun on this record alone – heck, they cover the gamut of all they can touch on whilst still making sense all the while. That being said, it doesn’t mean that flatness doesn’t overshadow many parts of this release, which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, for the sole reason that there’s a ton to sink your teeth into, it’s definitely worth its fair shake. I never expected to hear this band go through that many stylistic reshapings on one single disc. It’s intriguing and can be very enchanting. I like the way they dare step forth – that’s a great quality all of its own, and this sure ain’t the linear fella you want to forget about.

The title-cut already reunites them main bullet points in quite the stellar incarnation, albeit it’s only firing up the engines and sure ain’t the best of tracks on here, or the biggest surprise. Still, it sure nails the groovy and memorable introductory melody. There’s a whole bunch of noteworthy pattern shifts in the drumming already. It’s all a kickass build-up towards a genuinely beefy first verse, coupled brilliantly with catchy melodies throughout. 2.30 showcases one orgasmic solo. The three minute mark, particularly, is a picture-perfect unveiling of the grandeur of this song at its finest. ”Only Hell Remains” kicks off with a melody that didn’t convince me at first, albeit the simplistic (but still meaty) riff leading the way into the first verse got me thinking maybe this would get better fast – and indeed, a solid groove carries on atop of a mid-paced drum roll for a nice touch. 1.02 develops into a melodic climax that was quite unexpected here, with some neat-sounding leads eventually sprinkled atop. That lead guitarist is the man, I gotta say. His solos are truly entertaining to observe all through this record – he never comes short. This soon establishes itself as a stellar track, tagging along with my feeling. The melodic chorus has an addictive quality. The slowing in pace at 2.38 works more or less, but that doesn’t overshadow anything about how cool this track is, to be honest. The pace gets picked up again quick, and the vocals are getting increasingly insistent as they go. I’m also loving the hyperblast ’round 3.20, which are utilized in just the right quantity to truly make an impact here.

”Foul Messianic Grace” has a very brutal and astoundingly well-structured entrance into the matter. It’s very nuanced, and the whole track is noticeably layered in terms of melody. 1.16 introduces a particularly interesting drum pattern that works really well. It has a kickass urgency and edge to it. In fact, this tune is interesting throughout, at the risk of sounding like a kiss-ass – it just never drops that ball. Not only does it go through plenty of variations, but it has this brill knack for ambiance. The atonal leads at 2.39, following in that train of thought, are very eerie, especially as they unfurl against the chaotic hyperblast backbone afterward. This passage of the tune is a work of art. The mid-paced stroll of the chorus really fucking slams, above all things. ”No Dawn Awaits” is on yet another brutal as fuck roll. The melody in the background works quite well, without being the most original piece of work on here. In spite of that, the groove is irreproachable, and really drives the song. The chorus at 1.04 showcases a much better evolution of the riffs already, and when the chaos takes over with hyperblasts – it all sounds considerably revitalized right out of the woodwork. The solo following the shift in the pacing of the drums is also a nice addition and is the definite point that saves this song from being inferior in comparison with the previous cuts. 2.26, especially, comes up with an epic and very, very violent part, nuancing constantly. It’s incredibly well-built – these guys know their shit. It even eventually gets easier to ”get” the direction of the riffs from the intro as they come back into the picture – they seem more efficient at that point.

”There is No God” has an absolutely kickass intro riff. The melodic grooves tossed in afterward have to be some of the best on this whole record. They’re definitely frenetic, and create an immediate build-up. It’s all very chaotic, memorable, and infectious. The recurring structures of this tune are simple, but nifty exactly the way they are. There’s even an intriguingly proggier section around 1.48 with a solo that’s also interestingly-built, flourishing in ways that are truly out of the damn box and blending in various influences. Also, I gotta say this chorus reaches deeply into the gut. ”As We Burn” sounds more death-thrashy as it opens up with a main riff that certainly wouldn’t be out of place in a classic, solely thrash tune. The tempestuous first verse has cool guitar work in the back that feels like a major hurricane/whirlwind of sorts. 0.59 introduces shifts in pace that are truly punchy and unexpected. Still, it feels the chorus doesn’t reach quite as deep as it could’ve. This isn’t as violent as the rest of the album so far, but it sure as fuck is creative. It even sort of reminds me of old school Arch Enemy in terms of a vibe somehow. That chorus takes a while to sink in – it sounds only mildly better on the second spin. Still, 2.26 showcases a very swirly solo – this dude has a way of saving the day when bits and pieces of this sound go awry in places. 3.29, though, comes up with this bold buildup – the vocal here is awesome (WHAT a yell). It’s a good song – only thing is, it doesn’t seem to depart majorly from a pre-determined comfort zone, even if it does its bulk of work to try and vary its choice of weaponry throughout the attack (that, as I’ve previously underlined, I can hand to these guys in heaps – they never lose sight of that goal, no matter what happens).

The slightly techier intro riff of ”Reap as We Have Sown” instantaneously seemed to signify this cut is one different kinda cat. The riffage in the back of the first verse sounds considerably more old school than all of the previous cuts back to back. The chorus is dark and majestic. There’s not too much icing on this cake and I find the organic feel of this practice is particularly tasty. The second verse, with its mid-paced drum stroll, sounds just as beautifully ancient. I’m especially digging the slow stomp at 1.38, and the hollow-as-fuck leads at 1.58. At 2.44, things get faster-paced; the progression of the leads in the back is interesting to follow – it all has this very calculating vibe. There’s yet another super bold slowing down in pace afterward that really, ultimately crushes. It’s my favorite track on here, without question, for the old school factor above all else. ”The Light Divine” seems to borrow from the quality of the slow parts of its predecessor with an equally reptilian entrance. It has a bit of an Obituary‘esque intro riff, even. It gets increasingly atonal as it goes for a nice affect. The first verse is one trippy build-up all of its own, and the vocals are barking with heartfelt rage. I gotta say this frontman sounds better and better as the album progresses. There’s a nice pattern shift at 1.40, and the guitars and drums are so tight-knit it’s quite obvious these parts have been refined and rehearsed many many times throughout the years before the recording/final take took place. I’m loving the masterful flipside of thought in the second verse. This track is definitely an evolution – it knows HOW not to dwell on the same page ages. The traditional kick of the hyperblast at 3.46 is, although predictable, definitely beautiful-sounding atop of the melodies sealing up the track.

”Force Fed Repentance” uncorks with fucking frantic riffage alongside drumming that doesn’t lose any sort of headway. 0.39 comes up with another one of those passages of nicely old school death metal songwriting with a background melody that’s not only positively basic, but also down n’ filthy. I’m liking the way the drums balance out nicely between pattern shifts – it knows to let all the parts of the song hold plenty of water for just the right amount of time to make a sufficient impact. There’s a section about 2 minutes in that left me perplexed, but it’s so short-lived and subtle, it doesn’t make a damn difference in the reach of this delivery. 2.40 is adamantly gripping with its flashy meshing of the soloing, the ape rhythm sections and the hyperblast for a very brutal finish. ”Blessed With Wrath” picks an interesting direction for its melodies with some slightly proggier ideas thrown in the mix that fit nicely with these guys’ general frame of thought. The chorus is also great. Still, no matter how cool these elements are, it feels the hyperblast further on comes in at a pre-planned cue and that the track is a tiny bit boxed-up; still, it works as a cool final cut.

The length of time it took for The Forsaken to make this album definitely is justified. There’s no major newness to speak of around these parts; just a particularly skilled take on the utilization of world-renowned tools of the trade. For that, and the fact that it doesn’t repeat itself throughout oblivion, truly raising the bar for me in terms of changing the definition of ”melodic death metal” (i.e. tossing the excessive predictability out the window, for the most part) I’d recommend checking out this band and album. Even skeptics will find plenty to chew on – and will also live very well with the after-taste.

It undoubtedly has a kickass production and a very broad landscape of possibilities, only those don’t get fully exploited in terms of riffery throughout, much to my surprise; I’d expected each and every of these cuts would hit as hard as can be, and was left only half-convinced that this disc will stand the test of time as much as its predecessor. Pieces are missing from this one frame to make it complete, although I do believe that, in some cases, passages of these tunes can be better understood after several consumptions; nevertheless, whilst the band calls this record an evolution in sound, I see it as a definitely varied and seasoned piece of work that can cause a monstrous hit as much as a noticeably flawed couple mishaps at quite a couple turns. This is more than I can say about what I thought I’d be in for when sitting down with whatever these guys ever put out: if anything, I’m quite adamant about the theory that the third disc will fix up the leaks and grab on to their best capacities to create an even more astounding final product that will completely cause all of us to forget the gaping holes in this one piece. Still, I can’t say anything on this record sounds literally bad; it just sometimes feel considerably not fleshed out enough to hit that one mark they’re known to never miss.

Opener ”The Nine Worlds Burn” (which was the first single to be released by MB) is one of the two most solid cuts on here, which is to be expected; a song like this one ought to be pretty damn hard to top. The main riff is absolutely stalwart, and it morphs into ever so brilliant work that’s simply all over the place within the verses, sounding intricately layered. It’s quality stuff throughout and is no less than exactly what we have come to long for coming from this one circle of musicians. The melodies are totally mesmerizing, and Heléne Blad’s guesting on this track sounds particularly revitalizing and induces a couple shivers, invoking an ancient ambiance and some imagery all of its own. It has a powerful reach. ”The Dispossessed” kicks off with even more absurdly fucking catchy and effective riffery that got me thinking these guys absolutely don’t mess with one’s patience; they pull off the creativity on that front in an effortless and irrefutably impressive manner.

That being said, it’s the case for the first half of the album, and seems to lose headway at one point, but it doesn’t completely face plant without one chance at interrupting the zoneouts; it simply doesn’t hit the mark all through the record just like I thought it would. In this one track, it sometimes falls behind, albeit less noticeably so than further on (in tracks such as ”Plague-Ridden Rebirth”, for example). The main riff in the verses is quite simple, with some nice leads crawling atop, and the chorus is definitely interesting. It’s less of a solid track than the previous one for damned sure but still sounds quite dandy, and undoubtedly remains in the KoA territory of relatively good outputs. The riffage ideas around the 1.47 mark are a tad sub-par though, although interest is quick to pick up again on a steady route. There seems to be a couple holes in the structure of this song though, and it sounds a tad shy in comparison to what I’ve heard from this band before, the best analogy being that it doesn’t hit hard enough; even the vocal doesn’t sound quite as insistent as its usual.

”Gap of Ginnungs” goes into a far bleaker, more black metal-tinged direction, which suits this band when done with a good knack for nuance. The melody is fairly steady, and the vocals seem to have more bark now. 1.49 introduces some particularly stellar leads which are incredibly rich, courtesy of Mr. Jimmy Hedlund that doesn’t fail to impress me with this first half of his contribution to this song. 2.24 has a good chorus, which doesn’t cross the boundaries of this one descriptor; it’s no heavy-hitter, but still works. Around 3.25, much to my surprise, a zoneout settles in, as the whole pace of things seems to begin to get pedestrian. The solo at 3.49 spices things up greatly. It’s very melodically textured and well built, and seems to energize the whole body of work all of its own. ”Bound to Reunite” has this slightly proggier-sounding intro riff, that almost reminds me of Opeth (intriguingly enough in this context). It’s quite an interesting element to bring to this one tableau, albeit it seems to get quite laggy after a few repetitions, until the first verse kicks in with neat, tight-knit melody that goes on a bit of a neo-classical penchant. The melodic chorus is a steel-solid sing-along that never sounds dated or boring by any stretch whenever it comes around. There’s a nice mid-paced turn-around about 4 minutes in that’s very well thought-out, also. ”Nordvegr” is my second favorite on this album, with its intriguing main riffery, coupled with the catchiness and punchiness of its overall build. The drummer sounds especially tempestuous throughout. The down-paced chorus works as a dense build-up, topped by a very classic (and classy) typically Viking death metal melody, which keeps on ascending in key for a wondrously beautiful and enticing affect. All the winning elements are there to make this track a kicker of a safe bet. The shifts in pace keep it interesting from the first note to the last. 3.26 houses a slowing down in pace that doesn’t seem all that fitting, which is the only downer I got about this one, although it rushes back to the main song pattern which is no less than epic. This is classic KoA grandeur at its best.

”Up on the Mountain” is the point where things go ever so slightly askew. There’s very cool basswork in the intro, which is quite rad. The acoustic stringwork definitely adds a gorgeous color to this picture. The ambiance is nicely desolate, and the background chants sure as hell add to that. I have to underline that the emotion and pull in the vocals has a way of truly grabbing by the throat, which amplifies the strength of impact of this cut that seems otherwise a little on the stale side musically. The chorus sounds a lot better than the verses in terms of actual substance. The riffs herein are simply too formulaic and flat. This is far from being up to par with what this band is capable of, the first half of this record being direct proof. ”Plague-Ridden Rebirth” is even worse and quite frankly reduces interest down to an alarming rate. The brutality is fired up from the very first note, which is really quite misleading, since the general pace of this track drags its feet all across the board. That being said, the first verse is truly dark and penetrating with a nice background melody. The chorus is stunningly simple, but works well for this one layout, at first glance; as it gets repeated, it starts to sound very worn out very quickly. On the other hand, the drumming sounds very lively and helps matters slightly all through the span of the whole ordeal. Still, by the time 4.30 hits, the zoneout is almost complete (?) and the leads don’t even sound like they’re going anywhere. The hyperblasting around the end of the tune sounds great and could’ve been used a couple more times to give the tune an extra kick. When it leaves the picture, more unconvincing leads close out the tune, which seems to stretch out right towards oblivion. It wouldn’t have suffered a huge trim, all things considered.

The intro riffage of ”Harvest (The End)” is absolutely nothing special, neither is the work laid out in the verses. Interest has, for the most part, been fucked with since the last track died in the egg. Things improve when the chorus comes up, although it still has a fair predictability to it. The main riffage is rather bland, and even the vocal line sounds too automatic and could’ve used some dynamics. The spoken passage around 3.34 is a total bore and doesn’t help matters by any kind of stretch. Still, the title-track ”…to North”, being an instrumental of noteworthy beauty, has good nuances in its pace and great melodies to offer, closing out the album with more optimism on the table.

I would think the weaker tracks on this album are only slight mishaps along the way and that this band sure as fuck knows to keep on working its ass off to impress time and time again. There’s no doubt in my mind that the next album will pick up on the few aspects that didn’t work out so well here and do some serious refinery. Still, ”…to North” has plenty of kickers on the dial, and you don’t wanna miss out on these, if you’ve been interested in what these guys do since they showed up on the doorstep of the universe.

”Red All Over” is fairly eerie, which says a lot about the entire vibe of the album – there’s a knack for ambiance, and it does get carried throughout brilliantly. Nevertheless, this is an unconstrained and frenzied record, and said aura of austerity is simply the solid backbone of this whole ordeal. The leads are heavy, and are quick to lead up into an eruption of all the song’s arrangements that is pretty goddamned imminent and end times-friendly. This track fires away in every direction like a sniper – and as cliché as saying this might sound, this description is the most fitting. The vocal line is pretty catchy, and this is something I have to underline about this band – they truly make the most out of their possibilities with the vocals. A great vocal line can have as much impact as the coolest main riff – and this, Murder Construct understands. On each track, the main man’s full range is exposed, and his sense of knowing how to hit hard is perfectly honed. There’s also a clear talent at creating memorable melody through the thick walls of dangerously sharp grind, and that’s something I heavily admire – putting it in just the right places, where it rings right, is something I’m not hearing all bands do in the best possible incarnation. These guys know how to cook up a mean combination of atonal, abstract brutality, and slightly more harmonious unfolding of progressive leads that build-up into shiver-inducing patterns.

”Under the Weight of the Wood” doesn’t waste any sort of time frame; it immediately pours in and bleeds the fuck out through every pore and orifice, leaving nothing but a stunned and reeking pile to perish ominously slow, which is all well and good in this case. The atonal lay work underneath a steady drum roll is pretty intriguing and interesting to observe. The frenetic and continued slamming, alternating with the blast beats, creates a neat foundation for this whole tune to sit on. The buildup starting at 1.06 sees it considerably expand its patterning, and that goes to show, especially well, that the man behind this kit is a very seasoned soul. This is fucking bestial. ”No Question, No Comment” sees him keep this philosophy on going with an original entrance into the matter – this is a classic grind moment you might wanna blast on repeat. 45 seconds in, there’s a tidbit of a tinge of a progressive passageway followed by a brutal as fuck, shoot-to-thrill section that gets especially heavy at 1.10. The drumming really carries out this tune fucking brilliantly. 1.30 is particularly sick, and those trippy ass leads make for a good finishing touch.

”Gold Digger” has this very ace and catchy main riff that sounds totally intoxicating atop of this one drum roll. 1.20 is an intricate valley that goes into a fairly abstract buildup; it’s a positively stunning bout of stylish originality right there. This kicks back into this absolutely ba dass main song pattern that I have to admit is my favorite on this entire record. The technical riffage leading the way into ”Compelled By Mediocrity” is something else I have to dig the hell out of – the very straight-forward and cutting lyrics also add in their undeniable load of absolute fondness. There’s a lot of urgency to the organization of the verses, and the hugeness of the sound is very threatening, working as a constant build-up. 1.20 showcases very cool riffage unfurling underneath the extremely prompting ”BORN TO SUCK” statement; that’s one extremely epic moment. The bass drumming sounds especially thunderous throughout this one tune, and the riffage underneath the machine gun drumming is entrancing and just fatally addictive.

”The Next Life” starts off with proggier riffage and drumming, kicking into the expected high-profile grind roll quick enough, but this is a daring brand of fucked up grindcore experimentation that shows that these dudes have been in it awhile and know exactly how to break out of the box and do it right. 56 seconds in, things get especially uncompromising with both urgency and sharpness, along with a clear yard-view of an extremely multi-phased attack. It’s quite nicely creative. There’s a nice descent at 1.25 that really has a way of sucking you in. The second verse sounds especially apocalyptic. 1.53 houses a nifty progressive section with leads that really expand to create some form of more evident ambiance. This carries out the track to seal it up on a note of well-fitting morbidity. ”Dead Hope”s main section is surprisingly melodic and enjoyably so. It’s well-built and sinking in pretty damned well. It’s catchy as heck with a whole bunch of pattern shifts to boot. It’s also fresh-sounding all the way through, and is the kind of song I personally wish could’ve lasted longer.

”Feign Ignorance” has a great atonal quality but doesn’t seem to stick out as much as the other tracks per se. That being said, it’s still a slaughterhouse party. The drumming is apeshit, and the vocals spit venom like nothin’ matters. The background vocals also create a fairly psychedelic affect, and I have to say the end of the song is the most positively puzzling and cool part on board. ”Mercy, Mercy” has a nice harmonization of the vocal line with the drumming and the riffwork alike. The melody is grand with a touch of atonality but still a clear direction in terms of unfolding a path to go into. The chorus, also, is incredibly catchy, and this is an adjective I’ve been using rather frequently while talking about this band – nice work. ”Malicious Guilt” is a brief, but also a (insert C word here) form of decapitation – there’s a shift in pace 41 seconds in going atop one of those dandy melodies that just slice on through the brain, eventually switching back to a killer second verse. I gotta underline, too, that the solo is totally out there – there should’ve been more of these on this disc.

”Resultados” has a very intense main riff going into a uber frenetic first verse. There’s a nice and grindy shift in pace one minute in. 1.16 is the cue for the doomsday ambiance; it’s a progressive dive straight into pits of ether. The down paced work is a hell of an asset of this band’s sound, and they utilize it in kickass ways on this record. 3.57 even has acoustic work crawling in with world music instrumentation, invoking some sort of an Egyptian ghost, which fits elegantly well in this one shot. It sure ain’t the ending I’d expected but it’s also a cool finish, with one haunting melody rounding out the record on the grand piano.

This is a debut of crushing proportions that sure knows to establish exactly who the masters of this turf are – know to appreciate the super groups. This is gonna take on an entity of its own, and it ain’t gonna take five albums – the real deal is here. Snatch a copy of this refreshing slab of modernly intricate aggression – it doesn’t get into a better packaging than this. All-stars lineup, working their bums off to bring you the best they can possibly do and even going straight beyond themselves – what more could you ask? Stop wimping and get it going on.

The first actual track to speak of, ”Beyond the Freakish Scene”, is aptly titled. The blinding drumming keeps on switching between patterns in a way that brings plenty of ammo to this sound all of its own. There’s a particularly ravenous climax about two minutes in, and the overall packaging is compact, and also highly, and decently satisfying. ”Split 3 to Share” is already what I would qualify as an instantaneous fucking pummeller of epic proportions – it’s a favourite of mine, and that’s only three tracks in. It showcases great cohesiveness between the drumming (which is particularly hellish and varied in its approach on this cut) and the guitars, and suggests a very absorbing main groove with a pretty killer main riff that’s bound to stick with you. There’s a good touch of drama and corny DM comedy in the victim screams crawling throughout the mazes of aggression on here, which I can’t help but to approve. There’s a stomping factor to this cut – and touches of hardcore don’t fail to make a handful of appearances all through the album for good measure, in small, but noticeable amounts to the well-focused ear. 2.12 higlights the goodness of this track’s savory groove, which seems to escalate into catchier, and catchier patterns of utmost tightness. 2.40 is such a violent and wild descent, you’re bound to be quite addicted to its theatrical effectiveness, and it’ll sure keep you coming back for additional spins. ”Sphincterized” bears that same ridiculously fucking engaging and nuanced-sounding prime-cut decapitation-work stamp of excellency with hooks in droves – it’s just friggin’ tight as all get out. The verses are sick, and, yet again, the groove is irresistibly headbangable. It’s a bestial devourment and annihilation of remains that’s effortless, fast, and absolutely threatening. It’ll leave you breathless, which is exactly what you want when sitting down with a grind album of brief songs that all have to hold their own in memorable ways within short individual spans of duration.

”Hanged by the Cojones” stays on this one excitedly derailing train with more drumming that will cut you up in half and squash all in its wake. 56 seconds in, skillfully complex riffery crawls its way in. There’s a progressive drop of tons and tons of bodies encased in concrete afterward – heaving and thomping atop of you in such a way that you’re perplexed by how well this is sinking in – this is one of ’em short, but varied and creative tunes you might wanna note down as Grog‘s proof that there’s nothing standing in their way – they make their death metal fucking SWARMING with influences and twists n’ turns. They don’t stick to a linear formula – they keep shit interesting, and it sure doesn’t seem hard for ’em at all. The main groove is yet again a thing of fucking beauty (these guys nail it every time – it’s now useless to even bring it up, they don’t fucking fall behind on groove even once in this record, when it’s actually part of the songs). It meshes with lickery that adds an interesting stylistic layering to the package. It’s a very intricate song, all in all. ‘’Acephalus Meatgrind Orgy Hibernation’’ is just as godless. It starts off mid-paced on nicely thick down-tuned licks, but kicks into high gear rather quickly, naturally. This isn’t a fucking relaxation album – it’s poisonous and intent on NOT fucking about in any sort of way, at least this far into the deal. From 1.27 and on, there’s a sick march going on – this has to be one of the coolest patternings on the record. It escalates into riffage that’s well-constructed and cleverly assorted with nuanced and sincerely original drumming pattern shifts.

‘’Stream of Psychopathic Devourment’’ is rather simple-y on the riffage front, but also painlessly, and without any fanfare, effective and brutal. The drumwork is yet again cutting – as freakin’ always. The delivery is, in fact, highly energetic on all accounts. The melody in the intro of ”Sicko” led me to believe this might be a slightly ”different” monster, which it’s not, at least not in all respects. It’s entirely brutal, but I guess it also manages to step up the plate in a slightly new-ish terrain for this record with melodic and meticulous leadwork with slightly progressive-sounding chaos brewing (that I didn’t dream up – these chaps are savvy on the tech front, which is later a very blatant fact – they listen to LOTS of tech death without a doubt). The main section/riff is absolutely bold. There’s a nifty alternance between said main riff and a nice roll of punches. ”Anal Core” is positively dizzying. The vocal delivery is insistant, ruled by uncontained fucking shrieks. About 57 seconds in, these cool as all hell schizophrenic and limb-from-limb chainsaw art-friendly vokills sound particularly psychedelic atop the very libertine and swirly riffage. It’s definitely more of a crustgrind-sounding cut in its typical but entertaining vein, especially in its main section.

‘’Re-reborn Monstrosity’’ sure is catchy as fuck. The melodies will, no doubt, stick with you. Again, the drumming is strongly dynamic. 1.11 hosts a nice and unusual build-up that’s threateningly badass enough, and the shift between this kind of slower part and the main sanity-compromising rape-groove is simply stellar and intelligent. There’s a certain focus on these serpentine and slower licks, plus even a hint of more prominent tech/jazzy-sounding basswork that seriously should’ve been emphasized more often throughout. ”The Misanthropes” is a second fave of mine – there’s more meshing of audible bass sounds and nicely atonal and abstract rhythms going on. The groove at about 1.32 is especially punishing. ”Ravenous Loathing”, as the title rightfully indicates, is fucking awesome. 1.09 sees the use of more of a progressive approach to drumming (which is simply slashing, not to worry) and there’s a certain build-up happening when the spoken part slips atop. The soft rumbling of the bass, at that moment, adds a certain veil of morbidity that’s unfortunately very short-lived (krank the damned thing up on the next record – it does wonders). The high shrieks are, in this track also, particularly mental. The ringing of the leads slicing on through adds a considerable chunk of important memorability and bone-chilling quality to the end roundup of the tune.

”10 Cummandments” is the one mishap on the record that I find really couldn’t sink in to a point where I actually knew how to appreciate it or think it sounded on the money. It’s actually far off in the fucking desert. It obviously sounds a lot more technical in its beginning, which is all well and good as it starts off. The melody is, without a doubt, oddball, and that’s a suitable word to describe it. The basswork is just as contemplative – and there seems to be some for-the-living-heck-of-it intent to experiment. The drumming is as sharp as in the other tracks, and the leadwork, seeming a tad disjointed from all else, is very libertine, with a dense, spacious reach. From the moment the vocals kick in, it seems the whole ordeal gets meatier to back it up, and actually begins to sound more like death metal again, but there’s definitely a melodic vibe going on as 1.26 brings in the ambient and spacey feel back on board. It’s an okay alternance between both approaches – still, it seems the wolves are being locked up here, and I can’t listen to this guitarwork and think it’s truly Grog‘s voicing – it simply fails to hit home and feel genuine.

On a drastically different avenue – ‘’Eskeletos De Cona’’ is the most crustpunk-sounding number on this entire record. It ain’t brutal by any means, but it’s catchy and fun. ‘’Barbie Doll Fuck Em All’’ sounds like some dude with his ballsack stuck in the grinder – it’s a classic blast of grind. It’s fast, furious, and chaotic. ”Decrepit Pussies Cabaret” (WHAT a nice title) is a killer, last mix of groove and stomp in a compact and short packaging.

If you’ve missed out on this release when it first came out, you simply need to get it blasting – consider it added to my collection of favorites in terms of high class brutality that belongs on the top shelf.

”Twisted Maniacs” has this familiar blackened punk rock drumbeat underneath a cobweb of slightly atonal and Misfits-tinged groove-riffs, topped by a vomitous vocal, rolled up into a 2.58 lifespan that works well, without a doubt. It’s definitely treading the waters of deja-vu, but it’s also well-done, and this cleverly balanced production creates an authentic three-dimensional feel that makes all the instruments stick right out, bringing you to that one room where these chaps have a blast paying homage to their blatant, albeit respectable heroes. ”Wizards of Silesia” suggests more of a refined, custom, and in-depth dive into what this band does for the vast majority of this record in an interesting and well thought-out manner; meshing those sickly, down-tuned, and positively impure 70s horror-inspired doom flourishes with the strung-out-and-high punk rebel groove, and a generous helping of old school death metal filth to cap it all off. Morbid Execution simply ace this stylistic approach and they seriously fucking party hard with their possibilities, whilst not straying from their ancient and ghoulish direction.

When they come up with this type of sound, all guns blazing, the result is a very nifty one, and I’ll gladly have more records stacked up on the desk that sound exactly like this; it’s a breath of genuinely intoxicating air for the nostalgia of the blackened thrash and black n’ roll tenancies of the Old Wave of British Heavy Metal-influenced extreme metal acts, when bands like Venom stepped up at the top of the totem pole. The accurately-titled ”Rusted and Demonized” has this suspenseful intro riff, developping into this 300-ton-heavy and menacing layout. This is very satisfying, great down-tempo death that harkens straight back to its early incarnations. It has this psychedelic and poignant feel sweating out of its every pore, and that’s exactly what makes an album of this type a memorably cool one. The very desolate guitarwork around the 2.11 minute-mark goes into one massively hollow and positively beastly build-up, led by a vocal delivery that’s simply more demented than ever. The drumming, much like in the previous track, is original, and dynamic in its technique shifts.

”Dreadful Romance”, more than ever, brings Mötorhead to mind. It actually pans out to be a cross between English punk-infused wall-to-wall rockin’, and heavily schizoid death metal rains of punches that simply don’t allow one hint of a last breath to happen; it all sure as heck doesn’t forgive. The mish-mash of such aggression and catchy, booze-soaked rock and roll is an endlessly brilliant idea that I fully endorse. The atonal and quite singular riffage slaughtering on throughout is seriously entertaining to listen to, and the feel is, yet again, on the primitive and crazy side of the pond. The last three cuts, much to my surprise, are a touch less fervently vivifying. ”Hell’s Driven Anger” goes back to that gloomy, blackened punk n’ roll foundation, which is all well and good when it escalates into a bigger picture, but it sounds a touch linear this time ’round, much like in the first cut, where it breezed past without leaving much of a deep mark. It’s still fun to listen to, but fails to grab my attention as much as the previous bunch of kickass tunes. It’s reasonably catchy at first, but happens to get repetitive quick.

”Remain Breathless”s main groove is a totally killer one and amps up my enthusiasm right out of the gate, recurring all through the song in such a way that it makes the entirety of it a hell of an engaging number. The vocal seems to enhance it’s ballsy grit, and the licks ’round that main force of an accessible main part are quite absorbing and hitting the nail on the head effortlessly.It starts to feel like it’s about to get stuck in a repetitive loop about 2 minutes in, but when that swinging main riff crawls back in, it’s easy to picture a couple rooms in the vacation house blowing up, and a dizzyingly messy zombie pit advancing up front. ”Vulgar Darkness”, on the other hand, may have a downpaced and bleak stroll I tend to like coming from these guys (when the riffs actually hit home with a direction and a creative structure), but in the case of this track, I’m hearing fatigue and bitter flatness. The intro riff gets caught in a bit of a mechanical and repetitive pattern, kicking back into verses that may have a nicely atonal and beautifully devoid-of-all-life layering, but that still fails to get me as enthusiastic as I still am about the promising beginning of this relatively cool album.

As stated above, Morbid Execution sure as hell know where they come from, and they’ve loaded up their machine guns and built their mantraps to catch all possible posers in style with this record; nevertheless, I somewhat expect their second outing will be a much more mind-boggingly elaborate one. Bring it on, what I’m hearing around these parts is, for the most part, quite rad.

It’s really quite simple; the brilliance at hand instantaneously brings the blood to a boil, and each n’ every single cut on this monster of a thrash staple (so intelligently meshing true-to-roots and amazingly fucking refreshing oldschool influences with intricate and raging technical death-thrash leanings right towards modern-sounding mashups of occasionally hardcore-infused stomp and melody) steps up the plate fearlessly, boldly, memorably, and in such a way that it’s bound to become an absolute crowd-favourite. These songs are anthemic, unforgettable, and creating a high that make one beg for a zillion helpings of this ferociously and adamantly essential fix of groovy and undoubtedly bar-raising and spirit-elevating fix.

The intro already says a lot about how well-oiled this attack is shaping up to be, and certainly charges up a sea of machine guns that I could foresee would pour out of the gate to tear away a lot more than a couple full jaw-sets of teeth, hairs from the tops of scalps, and maybe a couple eyes from their sockets; ”Thrill to Kill” indeed immediately brings catchiness and a handful of meaty and groovy riffs on board, with a steel solid rhythmic chug. A typically Exodus‘y feel crawls in at the 3.22 minute mark and albeit this brand of thrash has, without a shadow of a doubt, been done before, there’s not an iota of space for doubt; Mortal Infinity have a fucking crushing record in them, and this first track does more than enough to back up that statement. ”At Dawn of Death” confirms the validity of such a quickly and unshakably rabid and enthusiastic thought; the fucking ape gallop crawling in from its very first second sure doesn’t waste one bit of room or time-space; wall to wall aggression is on the dial and ready to fucking burn three hundred cities to less than dust. The main riff is incredibly old school and sure will have huge sentimental value especially for nostalgia of classic 80s thrash; it simply demands extremely candid replays. The slowing down in pace around 1.35 is interesting, and balances out the feel of this one blitz with a fresh, invigorated, and well-calculated tactic.

The mainman/vocalist Marc Doblinger fucking spits seas of planet-engulfing fire. When the main groove kicks back in, there’s an undeniably classic feel of greatness and anthemic hugeness going on that simply grabs, moves, and throws bodies all across the board; it’s a magical moment that locks in this certainty that these guys are cooking up a monster that is quite far from losing breath or ball-field space to rule over as a catastrophically godly entity. The progressive riffage around 3.25 developing atop of a catchy melodic solo makes for an incredibly cool section, which gets particularly dazzling in its horsepower when the latter goes beautifully bonkers in terms of speed and flashiness. The undead-raising and war-mongering gallop closing out the track masterfully and automatically induces a form of headbanging that’s bound to mess up blood circulation to the brain for a long while in the aftermath.

”Wake of Devastation” is more of a melodic number and showcases another, more modern-thrash-influenced take on this worshippable brand of thrash; the groovy licks are nicely down-tuned, threateningly thick and slicing. Doblinger’s vocals sound like Chuck’s and are absolutely balls-out on this number. The drive of the track’s build is well-catchy with a steel-solid drive, but I found myself thinking it needed an additional kick to truly start hitting home, and from the moment that thought crossed my mind about three minutes in, the boom came; one delirious trot that brings to mind the best work of one Germanic force named Kreator (meets Exodus‘ early works) launches itself into some epic and wonderfully toxic stomp. This is followed by a very fitting, mid-paced valley that pushes this sweet melodic main lick to the forefront.

”Retribution” has a SICK groove jumping out of the wooden frame with six meter-long claws and 700 000 heads with eight sandpaper tongues out each, bloodlusting, and blindly desecrating everything that lives or hopelessly tries to play dead. Mind-boggling shreddage and a commanding vocal are quick to rush their way in. The background riffery is so goddamned reminiscent of the first incarnations of Bay Area thrash, it’s simply awing. Mid-tempo leanings follow, greatly enhanced and boldly underlined by the drummer’s admirably dynamic delivery, going straight back into the firing up of this pillaging main riff and its accompanying groove that simply fucking stuns and works so blooming well. Another mid-tempo section unfurls, unveiling some mean rhythmic chugging with vocals that get particularly psychotic around 3.14. One rad and suspenseful descent occurs at 3.32, guided by slamming drums, and one kickass atonal melody, masterfully switching into a buildup that goes into prog riffage, sitting atop of energetic, and notably seasoned drumming, with some neat lickery hovering about.

”District Destruction” houses one state-of-the-art main riff which is simple, but bringing the fucking point home from the absolute getgo. It fires the first bullet and sure doesn’t miss its considerably memorable headshot. It sparks up strongly dandy prog thrash riffs that lay out the track’s foundation and pave the way for the first verse. The vocalist is still in one particularly menacing and alarming fury. A mid-tempo and engaging stroll is on the dial, and it seems this track is taking on much more of a progressive voicing on all ends of this spectrum, especially as it reaches the 1.41 minute mark. The result is of an irrefutable brilliance. The 2.26 minute mark sees the sum of the parts going into a full-blown speed section that still retains the prog element, making for a nice stylistic mashup, and the drumming keeps on switching patterns for one cool and gorgeous finish. The urgency is so palpable, it amps up physical adrenaline effortlessly. The 3.16 minute mark launches itself into a nice buildup with numerous nifty sound FX painting a clear picture of mass destruction, and a mid-tempo drive crawls its way in with its range of dirty riffs to boot. Those energetic gang shouts are adding a nice touch of force of impact. The melodic soloing around the 4 minute mark sure as fuck doesn’t lack any sort of character, and the ending of this cut is insanely inebriating.

I can safely say the last three tracks are the most jaw-dropping ball-breakers this side of 2012. ”Condemned Rising” is very, dangerously frenetic, 57 friggin’ seconds in. It fires on all fucking cylinders and pulls you straight into the fleshgrinder before you find the time to scream. It has some especially tight groove flourishes in the rhythm section, and its structure is very impressively fast-evolving. It’s a chaos-monger of the neatest and biggest fucking proportions, period. The 2.50 minute mark sees another mint proggier section that eventually kicks back into this highly pleasing and fulfilling groove. The pace of the pwnage gets faster than ever at 3.27, and that section is just so effin’ revitalizing, it easily classifies as one of the most epic highlights on this whole record. ”Radical Response” is the main fist-waving sing-along anthem around these parts and follows in straight afterward with this ridiculously freakin’ catchy main riff uncorking this top-class brew, quickly developing into one hell of a masterfully-crafted second main riff, guided by one truly mean gallop. One heck of a collection of Instantaneous Winner riffs unfolds and showcases exactly how brilliant this band is. Plus, the vocalist just fucking nails it throughout. This is so very intoxicating, it’s heart-grabbing. There’s a nifty valley around 2.56 with some more mightily groovy chugging that goes into one kickass buildup paving the way to a mid-paced section with more of this solid, generously thick n’ heavy brickwalling chug.

The aptly-titled ”Sound of Brutality” has great progressive riffery in the background right off the bat, and soon has one explosive chorus with its handful of beautifully slicing melodies barging in for all to witness and worship. It has such a classic and Exodus‘y spirit all the damned way, and is so true to where it hails from, it’s a poignant statement of authenticity and refreshing appeal in the case of a new thrash band; it surely promises for more and more goodness in the years to come. There’s a hint of a touch of a hardcore feel around the 1.43 minute-mark, and let me tell ya that it stomps and kicks ’til the skins eventually reddens and breaks. The drumming develops from there into one interesting series of patterns in a strongly lively way. One seriously engaging descent into an endless pitfall you’re bound not to return from, guided on by gang shouts and one energizing and well-rounded-out final display of nifty musicianship seals the deal very nicely.

This album, my friends, is gonna raise the stakes for the thrash scene and very quickly toss the Mortal Infinity name in bright and flamey focus right up there with the best of the bestest. This is a record you must own, and will make all pits of the world go absolutely nuts in such a way that neighboring cities just might have to duck, cover and prepare for a life-threatening game-changer.

”The Blood Red” kicks in with a thrashy gallop, and develops into an accessible and engaging number that has a good range of nuances and a killer balance overall. The sung chorus showcases Smoot’s cleans that really have a humble simplicity and a great emotional reach. The latter develops a great deal especially on the more down-paced and ever-so-slightly bleak doom-tinged cuts, and is enjoyable, authentic, and harmonious all the while, adding a singular touch to the ambiances herein, such as on the brief but very introspective, penetrating and grey ”Fortunate Sun” which seems to be the ideal ground for Smoot to really unfurl his range, and the result is particularly woeful, and gripping, alongside riffage that is a tad funereal and definitely absorbing, in a bit of a Daylight Dies/Paradise Lost fashion. ”Religion is Fiction”, on the other hand, is an entirely different piece of work, and is incredibly hard to classify. It’s frantic-paced, chock-full of thrashy grooves, and definitely has a kickass pull, and an undeniable catchiness. ”Rebirth” is a short interlude housing a solid main riff and psychedelic background leads, building up to a second display of slightly more shadowy alternative and contemplative musings. The acoustic stringwork is slightly gloomy, and Smoot’s cleans are yet again delicately desolate and moving, morphing into growls as the track escalates into slightly heavier, but still very alternative terrain with even a touch of what I would qualify as a grungy penchant, which doesn’t sound out of place at all in this picture, being delivered into one quality packaging that deserves some serious props. ”Mandatory Purgatory” goes into high-profile thrash slaying that sincerely doesn’t bullshit in terms of speed and free-for-all whirlwinds of nuclear riffage. Still, the impact of this short but sweet cut pales in comparison to the progressive and highly memorable ”Countdown to Oblivion”. It’s a hooky, and unpredictable cut, and brings one fact to light: Smoot was a solidly skillful prog metal composer. This cut houses stellar atonal leads, and the intoxicating gallop seems to gain strength of impact especially around the 2.40 minute mark, going into this trippy, brutal, and positively crazy buildup topped by some of the most ape soloing on this entire record.

”The Gauntlet” makes another one of ’em U-Turns into a blacker valley, and since it’s a facet of the man’s sound that this disc is getting me to appreciate more and more, I sure am glad he explores it to a good reach of potential all across the board. The lead flourishes are very interesting to listen to. The bass doodling around mid-track bends the direction and mood of the track straight out of the woodwork, but the unfathomable descent deep down into the intestines of the earth ’round the end of the song’s duration gets the threatening feel back on board in a very brilliant way. ”When Worlds Collide”s first half seems more like an improvisation of experimental idea elaborations than anything else, which is all well and good, following in the envelope-pushing voicing of this venture. It has quite the slow, albeit focused progression. The riffs are slashing, evolving atop of various drum patterns, and eventually morphing into a down-tempo hardcore in the same brand as The Acacia Strain‘s. It’s menacing, slashing, and imposing. The licks in this track are absolutely singular. ”Mutilation” follows in with that same train of thought, going into a dark and cut-throat mid-tempo march that eventually incorporates a moderate touch of a thrash kick. Yet again, the drum patterns are very nuanced, keeping the attack fresh and dynamic. The ambiance is absorbing, creating a double-axe-sharp noir feel. ”Hollow Tree” builds into this strongly psychedelic pattern with Cory’s vocals swirling in and out of focus in a bit of a spacey way. This is followed by very spontaneous riffery paving the way to a mid-paced and beautifully doomy valley that reaches a very impromptu shift in pace around the 2.40 minute mark building to one absolutely unique, psychotropic, and experimental ending. It’s entertainingly oddball, and somewhat eerie. ”Sloth Loves Chunk” is the one album closer no one could expect from a friggin’ mile, meshing prog fusion and vintage rock. It’s one heck of a spontaneous way to seal the deal, showing that without a doubt, Smoot was inspired by all types of eclectic creations in the music universe.

This album has plenty of surprises to offer to absolutely everyone, be it fans, or non-fans of GWAR; there’s educative know-how on this work of art and it’s a very heartfelt, and dedicated affair. It’s pretty damn killer for exactly what it is, and it’s sure to take countless folk aback with its imaginative and dynamic layout.

For starters, thank you so much for the good words on our new album!! Yes, we are back for sure, since January 2011, but this album is the result of 1 1/5 years of hard work! We hope that the fans will like it, it is an album that includes all the elements that were in the band’s previous albums, but it is also going into more of a Death Metal direction. ACID DEATH have gone through its typical early 80s thrash phase from 1989 to 1995, right towards Progressive Death Metal, from 1996 till today. This was, I could say the “Hard Road” since this style was and, forgive me for putting it that way, still is a “difficult” area of the Music industry to evolve in. Anyhow, we chose that one route of expression.

The band had been inactive for almost 10 years, and there were many reasons behind this fact… in 2009, the first thoughts of “starting the engine again” were in our minds, but 2010 was an ideal time and worked perfectly for us. Of course, it wasn’t easy! We worked really hard re-preparing the old songs and also starting to create new ones, and finally, in January 2011, we were ready. I believe that ACID DEATH is at a very good level right now, all of our willpower and the collective reunion of our souls devoted and focused on the band!

Tell us more about your roots — it’s a well-documented fact that you started out as a primarily technical thrash band; what sparked up your inspiration to go into more of a death metal direction, and how did you approach the forging of your own blueprint spin on this stylistic mash-up in order to create ”Eidolon”? I’m hearing hints of DEATH-tinged riffery on some songs, especially in the melodies throughout ”Convict 655321”.

Yes, you are right! We started out as a typical Thrash Metal band, with some Death influences, but our inspirations mainly came from Thrash/Death and even Fusion/Jazz. We tried to better ourselves as musicians through the years, and also to include all the music elements we like in our songs. “Pieces Of Mankind”, for example, was inspired from Death/Thrash/Nu Metal and Fusion/Jazz also.

The same happened on our second full length, “Random’s Manifest”. Now, in the case of “Eidolon”, whichis our third full length and fifth official release over the years, things worked in a more “Death Metal” way! There is, of course, this technical/Progressive “air” that was strongly predominant on previous albums, but this feel is on more of a Death Metal path now.

Your knack for enticing groove is extremely bold on this record, it shows you guys have been keeping tabs and a close watch on the ’90s metal scene throughout ACID DEATH’s evolution — I’ve been reminded of PANTERA while blasting killer bits and pieces of this record — and these sure as hell sound massive, imposing, and mercilessly (AND infectiously) on the dial. Tell us about about how this era of the metal genre, along with its more accessible and stomping caveman riffery, influenced the reshaping of your sound all the way towards ”Eidolon”.

-Thanks for that!! Yes, there is a “Pantera Style” in many riffs, but it was something we never (intentionally, ed.) tried to create. Of course, Pantera and Death were, and still are big music chapters for us, as they are, I believe for many metalheads out there. We just tried to “write down” the ideas we had in our heads. The songs that stemmed from these include this one important chapter too. We are proud of hearing that there are people like you that pay enough attention to all these elements and think that they give a special character to an album!!

Savvas, your basswork shows luxurious and well-layered intricacy from the very first cut of this release right towards the last. I, myself, called it a third guitar while writing my attentive cover-up of this album. Each instrument, down to your very own vocals, is vital to shaping up this absolutely monstrous (and oftentimes experimental and highly unpredictable) facemelter of a record. Let us in on some details about how you approach songwriting – how do you go about piecing these songs together, and what is your primary source of inspiration to craft up all these nuanced sonic landscapes conjured up in each song?

We gave our 100% on every second that is included in this record! Yes, I will agree with you about the bass being the third guitar in the album. That was our goal, during the album’s processing and production. You know, a band is like a human body. Everything has to work right for the body to be healthy. So, the instruments of the band have to be in the right place, clear and powerful.

That’s the most important thing, because we’re talking about metal music, which needs the guitars to be tremendous and loud, with powerful and equally loud drums, bass…vocals etc. In our case; we took care of the production ourselves, which is something that helped us a lot because we, as personnalities, discovered the “difficult ways” of working together, something that is really important for a healthy band!

About the album’s sound, we tried to reach that warm 90’s sound of Florida with the really big guitars, tremendous bass and drums and powerful vocal lines. Having the production ready, the song structure and numbering, the way that one song follows the other, or even some small things in between songs was our final goal for giving the album more of a ‘’movie’’ feel, and not a typical “push the play button and leave the room” kind of deal.

When did you first approach playing bass, and who were your main influences in the developing of your stylistic direction pre-ACID DEATH and throughout the years in the band?

Personally, I started playing bass back in 1988. I started from bass guitar and not from a typical 6-string guitar. My main influences were, and still are Steve Harris, Steve DiGiorgio and a Greek bass player, Yotis Kiourtzoglou. Of course, the improvement came as years passed, although I have a looooong way to go to become a real good bass player! I’m especially thinking of Steve DiGiorgio; I always admired the way that he puts all these jazz/fusion elements through his bass lines! I wish I had the chance to have this bass monster as my professor!

What are your thoughts about the modern technical death metal scene? The evolution from the ’90s towards the present day has been dazzling, yet legends like Chuck, that you honour thoroughly on ”Eidolon”, sure are still living on through the basic foundation of the sound of the newest wave of envelope-pushing technical venturers, who oftentimes even incorporate a touch of neoclassical riffery to their compositions. Which bands do you listen to lately, and do you picture ACID DEATH touring alongside some of these names in the months/years to come?

Things have been on a really good path this last 4-5 years! There are many really strong names that create Death Metal masterpieces. MESHUGGAH, for example, is a band that is, for sure, a Death Metal Monster these days! You know, I strongly insist that Chuck Schuldiner changed the way Death Metal sounded a lot from 1993 till now and by the same token, keeping the Death Metal scene strong for many-many years! As for touring…we just want to tour with good bands! It doesn’t matter if these bands are big, we just want to be a part in this game and we will try our best to do just that!

While you guys were cooking up ”Eidolon”, what was on your respective iPods?

Hehe! Believe me we hate iPods!! No problem, just kidding! It may be hard to believe, but nothing was in our “music memory” those days! We preferred to focus on the album, away from any kind of modern releases coming out today. It was something like an “experiment” for us, to create and build something and compare it with similar albums of today without having “today’s element” in hand all the time while cooking the album up.

Let’s go back to the early days of A.D.; back in ’89, metal had gone from the schizophrenically (and deliciously) chaotic thrash uproar right towards the popularity of glam metal-creamy-cheesecake BS that practically took over the entire universe’s press channels and tv stations alike. Grunge surfaced up not long after – how was a day in the life of an underground, dedicated-to-the-craft thrash band back around those times, and how did you propel the ACID DEATH name to a sky-rocketing level in Greece? How did you guys get noticed, and how open were the promotional circles around the time your band started composing/gigging?

I dare say that we were taking part in all that madness back in 80’s. Yes, it was a total chaos, that period. Although, Greece is a really small country and I am sure few know many details about our scene. There was a big and strong segregation on these two kinds. There were “big bands” coming from Glam and “small bands” coming from Thrash. But ALL had the SAME audience!!!!!

You know, Greece was unlucky enough to be away from the big gigs and musical facts’ map for many years when those big gigs were a daily occurrence to other European countries, so all those that were there with their hair up in a glam setting, were in the pit in a Thrash live. Things changed when Nirvana knew tremendous success with that record in 1993 but the days and nights of an underground band was still the same. That period was really hard for all of us, trying to find a way to create good music, record a good demo, try to find a good label… As we say, “Greece is too Hard for Metal musicians!”.

How quickly did the rush of inspiration come back to you post-reunion, and how much time went into the writing process for ”Eidolon”?

Everything started in October of 2010. At first, we fixed the old songs with the new lineup and from December 2010 till July 2011, we created the songs for “Eidolon”. Recordings started in September 2011 and finished in February 2012. We worked really hard to have all these good results in a rather small time space, but I believe we made it.

Lastly, which elements on this new album are you the most proud of, and can you give us any stories about the recording/writing process that took place between the moment of the birth of the idea of this record right towards the final day of mixing/mastering? What makes you particularly and especially fond of this release, and excited about the future of ACID DEATH, as a live and on-record act?

Hehe!! Many funny stories! For example, the last evening that we were all sitting together to check all the songs for the “last minute fixes” at 2.00 in the morning, we discovered that almost all the voices from “Towards Hate” were lost! Of course, microphones had been put in their cases, all the knobs on the mixer were totally different from the vocal sessions, and most importantly…in the backup projects, there was the same problem!!! W.T.F!!!! Starting vocals from the beginning??

The next day, we were scheduled to start mixing! I was really glad to see that I hadn’t pushed the “erase trash files” button in the project of the song…And the vocals were in the “Trash” folder! Anyway, we hope the fans will love this record. It includes all our powers and collective soul! I hope this record will be a good step forward for ACID DEATH. And most importantly, a big Thanks (to ToTD, ed.) that gave us this opportunity (for an interview and review, ed.)

The short ”Blind Reflection” is a one-way ticket to hell that’s absolutely cutting and on the freakin’ dial. It’s vigorously, positively, and massively damning, trampling and squashing brains in its wake. ”Crossing the Line” certainly accurately owns up to its title. The low-end here is dynamic, razor-sharp, and very actively involved in developing tight as heck progressive licks that forge a steel-solid backbone for the riffery to lay on. I’ll call it a third guitar on this record; it adds a finish to these songs that’s totally an essential in this picture. The staggering riff emerging from the get-go is nicely pestilential and shows that this band’s in the house to call the goddamn shots. Catchiness and progginess are both infused within the unfurling of this track in equal measures, which is a captivating fucking feat only bands with an experience that harkens back to ’89 could craft up with such precise friggin’ sharpness while meshing that many ranges of influences together, all rolled up into one single thinking line. An especially dynamic tech section crawls in around the 1.53 minute mark, with a sophisticated mish-mash of drum patterns that show a very fierce and actively eclectic know-how on Kostas Alexakis’ end. The vocal soaring in the background within that passage of the track reaches inward very aggressively, and that adds an incredibly fucking important touch to every track’s presentation; take it away, and Acid Death sure as heck isn’t the same. It’s an instrument of its own, taking the mind through six thousand different shades of anger, and Savvas Betinis’ range goes from tortured, low growls right up towards animalistic and compelling screams of utter, gory aggression that seriously hits the mark and makes the sum of the parts in each sharp attack presented here totally stand out and impose itself.

There’s even a certain thing about the groove, alongside the drumming around the 2.29 minute mark that’s a straight nod to Pantera‘esque, brick-smashing drive, on the rhythmic and drumming fronts alike. ”Towards Hate” keeps that flag a-wavin’ with a slight penchant towards a more ”Far Beyond Driven” route, with atonal, menacing, and considerably dirty slow-paced riffery. The verses are very somber and cavernous, with one thick and virulent main riff snaking its way in and throughout. The ambiance is gut-wrenching, suspenseful, tense, and decidedly moody, and Savvas’ vocals are savage and going through various tones that all bring out a ton of substance over the course of this track, all of their own. At ’round the 2.45 minute mark is an increasingly sepulchral, funereal abbyss that seriously turns the stomach over in one awesomely fucking capable way with intricate leads in the background. The vastness of the production makes that kind of moment stand out in a haunting, three-dimensional, and strongly grabbing manner. The layering on the guitars is also fucked up, adding a certain venom and a generous dose of morbidity to this one descent, which builds back into this slightly abstract-sounding ambiance with an extra kick of punch, sticking right out at you in a deliciously pugnacious way.

”Convict 655321” doesn’t lose any sort of impact and barges in straight out of the woodwork with this very Death-inspired melodic riff and drum pattern, which is fast evolving and very nuanced for the entire span of this track in particular. It’s a very tight prog number that really goes to further reaches on the tech front, steering this entire album towards more experimental outlines, and that works for Acid Death when it’s focused and meshed in with good grooves and rad melodies, never losing sight of the sense of direction and liveliness to the song’s arrangements. The riffs are monstrous and permeating here, and the same can be said about Betinis’ screams. The somewhat thrashy solo section is catchy and purifying as ever. ”Inside My Walls” took a little longer to fully sink in, seeming a touch more flat in its first half, with fairly slow-evolving riffage and a sense of tiredness going full-circle, but much to my delight, the 2.15 minute mark brings in this mega build-up with lead flourishes that are particularly entrancing. The developments of the track’s patterns are yet again proggy, and have this indescribable singularity to ’em. There’s a tinge of Obscura‘ism going on here, but it’s still difficult to compare this track to anything else I’ve ever heard by other technical death bands over time.

Still, it’s even harder to argue with the quality of ”No Sky Above” which ranks as my favorite on this record, without a shadow of a second thought. It has not an iota of a prog leaning; it’s actually a thrash-tastic number of epic proportions. This incredibly ardent drumming rolls in atop of an eerie atonal rhythm section that kicks into one singular and punchy verse. This steamroller of a main riff is memorable to the point of somewhat reminding me of ”Seasons In The Abyss”-era Slayer‘esque types of musings, and the way the background drumming meshes with said twist on this sound also reminds me of what that album sounded like. Only the chorus retains that type of touch though, since all else about this track is definitely Acid Death‘s brand of thrash that has something definitely different, innovative, and refreshing about it. I gotta add that the soloing here is daringly distorted and undeadly, adding its very cool touch.

”Eidolon” is (quite the irony) the one track I have trouble digesting. It’s one example of what happens when technicality starts to drown out all other assets this band possess, from melody, right down to groove. It’s what I would define as laggy, and excessively hellbent on mathematical wankery. This doesn’t truly know to keep the attention on board. It starts off on a frantic and very blueprint route that works well in a moderately progressive way that sinks in truly well, and the vocals are still as forward as ever, which always helps. The shifts in pace are very unpredictable and somewhat intriguing, but at one point, it seems the riffs get caught into this knot of repetition, and the track eventually stumbles into excessively bland and calculating valleys with its very timid peaks. It gets unfocused and side-tracked, and lasts far too long for what it is (6:39). It especially got me puzzled around the 3.45 minute mark, going into this section centered on stringwork that has a certain haunting and bleak quality to it, but that’s very vague and wears off quickly, and seems like it doesn’t belong in the song, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst other ideas within this track that I find a tad questionable. There’s a good chorus with good background melodies, but the majority of the song left me frazzled. It’s the only point of this record where I had to sit back and wear the slightest hint of a frown.

”Odious Maggots” largely makes up for that moment of confusion with a sick gallop. The first verse is on a purely thrashy roll that simply doesn’t take any shit. The drumming is at the top of its game. The groove is stoutly solid, and goes into this mighty sweet n stompin’ melodic mid-section. The solo is absolutely mind-expanding. ”Dying Alone” sure knows to surprise with a totally opposite feel but an equal amount of awesomeness with a somehow neoclassical touch, with a somewhat depressive and majestically apocalyptic feel to it. The verses are very hollow and driven by neat stringwork, and the frontman’s vocals are at their most guttural. This builds into more of those thick Pantera-styled, dirty stampede southern-tinged riffs that really are a heck of a handful, crushing everything to bits all ’round, and against all odds, this thinking line evolves into a slightly classical and gothy chorus with its aura of intricate and luxurious melodies. The way those two facets of the sound have been put back to back makes for a menacing cut that’s absolutely oozing with thunderous and morbid fury. The instrumental ”Sole Truth” is a tad less theatrical, but very effective, with a strongly gnarly and filthy feel. The bleak cobweb of melodies emerging around mid-track is totally beautiful, inspiring, and unique.

You never know what to expect with Acid Death. They exploit all corners of their universe of talents and push the envelope fearlessly all across this record, and honestly, they succeed in the art of taking one’s breath away, leaving ’em demanding for more. I sure as all heck NEED more; the fact that these guys are back around means that chaos will be stirred in ways everybody better gear up and fucking prepare for. ”Eidolon” is one of those records you can’t pass up on, if you think you’ve seen and heard it all. Until you’ve checked this record out, mark my words, you’re mistaken, and you’ll stand corrected as you walk out of this listening session feeling quite fuzzy about exactly what kind of cataclysmic storm just took over your brain.

The title-cut & opener relentlessly supports this statement for a start. Michael’s ever so slightly raspy entrance into the matter wouldn’t’ve been out of place on a Count Raven record with its slightly bitter and edgy Ozzy-tinged approach, morphing into a growl every now and again, and the instrumentation’s not bullshitting on the technical prowess front either; this gallop is fucking rock-solid on all ends of the spectrum, with candid and energized pattern shifts, and a very distracting layout from the beginning of the song to the last note. This is already a pretty convincing way to put this train on a promising track. ”Words that Were Said” follows suit in a maze of very groove-oriented modern thrash riffs meshed with what I recognize as a very Scar Symmetry/Symphony X‘esque touch to the general structure and sound of the track. It sure doesn’t lack dynamics, and drummer Larry Boord’s slicingly candid firing on all cylinders brings him up front in the spotlight with this song. Add in a powerful soloing section around the 2 minute mark backed up by Boord’s audibly well-schooled prog musings, that focal point surrounded with verses showcasing loud n’ meaty riffs topped by deGrena’s eerie Sabbath’y style. I can safely say this tune ranks right up there as a highlight right off the bat, ending with contemplative and honestly fitting keywork from Robyn Kay. ”Dreamspeak” could be qualified as a power ballad with a huge twist for a backbone. Boord’s drumming is over-the-wall and pumps in the adrenaline right after Kay’s soft albeit dark keys started the ball, clearly indicating that even the most emotional passages of this album aren’t gonna tone down on the two-ton crunch. It’s an interesting blend of US Power Metal oomph and melorock, still radically propelled to a considerable degree of grabbing impact with electric shockwave soloing that’s far from getting exhausted.

”Spiral Staircase” had me thinking of Halford‘s solo works there for a bit. It’s a 7 minute and 18 seconds long wealth of kicking, high-profile melodic heavy metal par excellence. It starts off with hauntingly bleak, pensive, and harmonious keywork topped by efficiently simple but still mammoth-heavy riffs, kicking into high gear ’round mid-track in one unexpected and nifty build-up towards a faster paced motion with plenty of fucking groove and a mean n’ ballsy thrashier lacing. This type of song progression is highly reminiscent of some of the tunes on Halford‘s Resurrection and in my book, it’s an instant winner, and truly knows to grab and angrily rock on with plenty of personnality. ”Changing of the Guard” is even proggier and intriguingly layered and charismatic. The solo section, especially, is one heck of a piece of work, going across a tableau of two clear opposites, first half being backed up by brick-thick riffs and ripping through concrete, to dive into more mathematical and even more technically elaborate waters with background accoustic stringwork. It’s a hell of a rich song with plenty of infectiousness and off-the-cuff displays of tricks to boot. The melody-oriented ”Innocence” is a highly pleasant and grey area of the record, and I have to underline, yet again, how much deGrena’s heavily wounded-sounding and eerily beautiful vocal is. It greatly enhances the punch of the message the track strives to vehiculate, and the guitarwork ranges from high-horsepower, bleeding licks to grippingly desolate stringwork. ”Third Wish” heads straight back into stalwart zones with fierce drumwork and riffs that don’t lack urgency, and alternates between this effective rumble and slower-paced but equally grandiose choruses. The soloing is yet again flamboyant and absolutely wall-to-wall.

”Eye of the Enemy”, nevertheless, is even more high-profile, with its hugely potent and skilled flourishes. The symphonic entrance into the matter, kicking into frankly flawlessly gritty verses and eventually heading straight down to somber and very oldschool solo Ozzy terrain.. it’s all very breath-taking, and honest to heck, flashy, making me stop and wonder why I didn’t know about this band before now (they did a fair load of tribute records before finding their own imprint; and damn, they sure cooked it up with passion and a flair for exactly which avenues of sound work best). The catchy and blades-out ”Twelfth Talisman” also contains some of that macabre and very English type of mid-track nuance that would’ve been fitting on ”Down to Earth”. ”Reign Down” charges on without any lessening on the sharp pummeling on all fronts with more of these tasty melodic hooks that ensure both accessibility and entertainment for prog fans and newschoolers alike. The heartfelt, calculating, and plain dark piano piece ”Winter’s Call” closes the record in an elegant and sincerely cool way.

A disc like this one is a killer tribute to the gods, and also a genuinely innovative and bombastic technical prog venture. Actually, it’s hard to tag it with one single sub-genre labelling; see for yourself, you’ll get hooked to this enchanting intrigue, mark my words.

”Infested By His Burden” is extremely nickel in terms of exhibiting Offending‘s very respectable range of strengths; melodies that absolutely stick, varied drumming techniques, cobwebs of attention-grabbing atonal riffage throughout, and one sense of unpredictability that’s right on the money. ”Within this World” amps up the reach of this well-structured and well-rounded-up vehemence with even tighter twists and turns in the pattern shifts, more of this nuclear drumming, and this poignant, cinematic, bone-slicingly chilly ambiance building up to a point where it’s physically palpable. This uber frenzied verve keeps on escalating in grandeur with the undaunted and impressively vital ”Modern Enslavement”, the first of the two main focal points of this record. The ape soloing kicking in without one trace of reluctance as quick as 28 seconds in is only one element of this track that scores high in terms of an adrenaline build, coupled with very neat nods to classical roots in the direction of the leads, fitting eerily well in the midst of all this catchy brutality. The progression of this track is tight, well-oiled and intelligent, creating unstoppable hook-induction, and the drumming backs that up with animalistic vigor.

The highly calculating and tech-savvy ‘’Dominion XXI’’ (getting increasingly and neatly entangled into tight progressive songwriting in its second half especially) is one different beast especially on the rhythm section front, creating a nice and devotedly experimental passage where Offending‘s imprint on violence can be defined in depth. The short but to-the-point ”Religion Depravity” houses more of this sweet ambiance-driven impactfulness that truly captures the attention with a clear urgency to the melodies, a very somber main riff, high-profile leads here and there, and a bit of an Immolation‘y (listing ”Majesty and Decay” as a main reference here) type of thrilling build in the meshing of the stomping drums and down-tuned n’ beautifully menacing stalwart riffs (this absolutely cool part kicking in right around the one-minute mark). This type of vibe sticks with a touch more abstract musings in the title-track. I’m especially digging the highly mathematical prog whirlwind kicking in at approx 2:30, the riffery venturing wherever it damn well sees fit, the nuances in the drumming a perfect foundation for these very organic-sounding experimentations to lay on, with virulent growls crawling atop for a badass finish.

”Hopeless Submission” is, without a hint of a fucking doubt, another outstanding cut of a particularly massive importance among this lot. It doesn’t waste any time and reveals itself as one relentless entity right from the moment it sets foot in the door with more infectious and sincerely killer drumming, svelte licks all across the map, a memorable and engaging chorus melody, one noteworthy knack for bitching groove (take note of the 3:25 mark for a solid example of how compact it can get) and yet another passionate solo sealing up the deal. ”Raped By Religion” doesn’t tear up the house just as much on the riffage front and could’ve used some more fleshing out in that department, but it’s still one blindingly fast, skin-breaking bridge tying the awesomeness of the previous cut in with the rather convenient roughly four-minute-long outro that contains lead work that ain’t the most flamboyant on the entire record, but the right feel is definitely there, and the drumming, especially, is still thunderous as ever.

On the whole, this album is a definite go-to, especially if you know to recognize the beauty of crafty brutality, and the importance of a well-nuanced take on violence in the general scheme of well-rendered impactfulness in modern death metal. Offending‘s gonna garner some major attention and huge rounds of high-fives for this one, and that’s absolutely irrefutable.

The first actual song to speak of, ”The Great War”, does full justice to its five-minute length. It’s a classic, albeit typical European power metal track bringing forward very mint licks throughout its duration, with a catchy and anthemic chorus, and melodies that seal the deal on the effectiveness front. ”Alexander” has a notably more nuanced overall gallop, and keeps the adrenaline flowing in a concrete direction that’s fully satisfactory, with a good range of hooks to draw horsepower from. The nearly six-minute long ”Warriors” is the point where the generally promising endeavors meet their baffling halt. It’s an okay song that really has the elements necessary to be listenable; the one problem is the degree of flatness to the approach of the riffs, and the lack of diversity over the span of its 5.45-length. It lacks the urgency characterizing the beginning of this record, at least, to this set of ears. ”Roman Empire” is also fairly timid on the instrumentation front, with a go-through-the-motions, linear layout, the two attributes saving it from being categorized as filler being Alexandros Kostarakos’ extremely heartfelt and beautifully electric vocal delivery, coupled with the occasional inspiring guitar melodies that are strongly capable of amping up the listener’s interest during the few fleeting moments they’re brought up.

The instrumental ”Hiroshima”, on the upside, is chock-full of sincerely killer riffage and lick elaborations laid out on one muscular delivery courtesy of drummer Grigoris Vlachos. The shredding around these parts sure isn’t scarce, taking the entirety of the track by storm, and assuring its ability to kick just about any unpleasable purist (such as my good self) up the teeth, oldschool heavy-metal style. ”Mother” has sweet melodies, and an intricate cohesiveness to boot, but fails to make a lasting impression in terms of mind-numbing impact. ”Crusader” is considerably more seasoned and dynamic, although the collective focus isn’t necessarily on board from the first minute to the last; the vocal sounds off in a few passages of the track, and the twin guitar riffage could’ve used some more fleshing out. I’m digging the contemplative melodic basswork in this one, nevertheless, and would’ve loved to hear more of Thodoris Paralis’ well-oiled tricks sticking atop of the mix over the duration of this album. ”World War II” scores major points when it comes to real memorability with a dirty, and purely rock and roll main riff, meshing incredibly well with inspired, powerful singing from Alexandros, and well-calculated, and genuinely enthusiastic-sounding buildups all through the track, all of which indicate a good vibe and grand chemistry stemming from 22 years of active teamwork in the Marauder camp.

Strength of character is present in large amounts on the couple heavy-hitters present on this disc; those select tracks are more than enough to get some noise going in heavy metal diehard circles. ”Elegy of Blood” has a spine, and even though that fact ain’t in full view on each and every single cut out of those ten, it still speaks volumes about Marauder ‘s indeniable ability to kick a fair amount of ass.

The title-track is a fairly simple, but effective, hookish, and balls-out rocking number, paving the way for the very melodic, but still beautifully vitriolic and stomping-heavy ”Thorn In My Side”, which showcases a powerful and charismatic vocal, steadfast drumming, dynamic & pleasantly dirty bass work, and state of the art licks/riffs, all this greatly enhanced by a flawless and very fitting production from one Eric Zimmermann’s end of the deal, and retro keyboard melody flourishes that seriously own. Unfortunately, as I pointed out right out of the gate, this strongly intelligent approach to modern rock (with its strong nod to oldschool british heavy metal goodness) has a way of falling flat on its bum when a touch of grungy alternative toning down hauls ass into the picture. ”Rumble” has a killer and poignant main riff that I happened to dig at the beginning of the song, right up until repetition and flatness swallowed up the whole endeavor to turn it into one eventless zoneout that has simply nothing to do with the excellency that precedes it. I guess it might be an acquired taste; to me, it’s rather clear that this band has it in them to break out of the radio-friendly comfort zone and do better than a pedestrian, filler track like this one. ”Ruffian” starts off on a hooky and stout note, but its main asset is irrefutable; when it builds up towards the very flashy solo section (directly followed by very mint keyboard melodies), its full personality is being unveiled, and truly stuns with its impact. ”Cut Me” has intricate riffage elaborations and a slightly more bitter approach, and whilst its outlines seem to point towards accessibility when the song kicks in, the guitar work and nuanced drumming patterns really bring out the ID of this band’s philosophy, keeping things interesting, punchy, and intricate enough to stir up curiosity as the song progresses with each additional note.

Both ”Never Enough” and ”Burden” keep the technicality factor on the backburner to focus on melody full-steam; the latter, especially, has nifty melodies that are ever so slightly reminiscent of Dickinson’s ”Tears of the Dragon” type of approach, for instance, especially considering the vocal range is in a similar vein. This band stirs up this type of recipe quite well, the licks are memorable, and the cohesiveness of both the tunes is all well and good. ”Insurgent”, on the other hand, seems to last much longer than it’s 4.24 duration, thanks to how linear and restrained it sounds, especially back to back with the last two cuts, which are mind-boggingly fired up on the calculating technicality front. ”Catharsis” is blatantly one conscious effort to be all over the damn place in terms of experimentation, and this endeavor has its peaks and valleys; that being said, ”Arrythmia” is positively bonkers, stretching out to the eight minute mark, and never missing a goddamn beat. The sum of all parts, including more keyboard madness of a noteworthy quality, makes for a hell of a skillful mosaic of fusion prog know-how that doesn’t lose one bit of focus all the while; this track alone deserves a large portion of the props I can give to this album from the get-go, even if this is my first time ever checking out this band.

There’s plenty of awesomeness to go by on this disc, and if the rituals of the abstract don’t move you, you’ll still find plenty of melodic, strongly British-influenced heavy metal to roll along to, around these parts. This has a potential of drawing quite a mixed crowd, while giving tech geeks a run for their money’s worth. For the most part, I like.

”Zeros and Ones” sets the framework with a brief introductory statement about how Wizards of Kaos roll; the typically stoner rock psychedelic groove is on the dial, and the mint melodies in the rhythm sections have a way of invoking an atmosphere that absorbs the mind to a point where one can almost smell the pot smoke and physically feel the rumble of high stacks of used amps. The sound has a way of crashing into the body with thunderous heaviness, and that approach is interlacing with a catchy and accessible but still very organic take on guitar harmonies. That’s one of them characteristics that easily gets me associating these guys to the likes of Sabbath. ”Bombs and Gasoline” is even more gigantic and well-furnished. The fact that it almost reaches the six-minute mark is fully justified. It’s chock-full of ridiculously effective hooks, and it houses a seriously kickass main riff that holds a damn lot of water right out of the gate. That vintage Moore/Perez dual jam out ’round mid-track is, hands down, one of the main highlights of the album. Those two guitars mesh with a chemistry that’s particularly out there, weeping on throughout the well thought-out song patterns in one hypnotic way it’s a daunting task not to simply adore. ”Coyote Eyes” is the main straight-to-radio cut, but in the case of this band, it sure as fuck doesn’t show any sort of sign of slowing down a peg or locking up the wolves for the living heck of being clean cut; the format of the song structure is clearly sitting in a roughly four-minute long moldery that’s compact and audibly crafted out for accessibility’s sake, but the soloing is definitely just as tasty as ever, and variations in the pace of things are also present, keeping things interesting, and showcasing the band’s imprint brilliantly over the modestly short duration of the song’s span.

”Digging Up Our Dead” is a prime example of that Sabbath-on-fast forward analogy coming to mind all through this one listening session. It has this highly fresh-sounding and honestly impressive catchiness, but it also delves into the spontaneous tempo shifts, keeping the approach raw, gritty, and authentic. It ain’t a rip-off of the old days, but rather, a particularly intelligent and knowledgeable tribute to the youngest years of this genre. ”Down From the Skies” takes a drastic U-turn, albeit a pretty damned pleasant one, delivering relentlessly in the prog fusion/touches of jazz influence departments in the ilk of Purple and Boston practices. The leads sure have sentimental value to them, and that tight riff-elaboration in the chorus is one that shines bright. All of those traits combined together make these track a gigantic essential. ”Ear Hole” takes yet another off-the-cuff nosedive into a contrasting mood with one steady upbeat instrumental. The drumming here is punchy and enthused, the ever-so-slightly kaleidoscopic grooves sure add plenty of cool weirdness to the tableau, the basswork is rather entertaining to listen to, and the riffage is crunchy and ballistic as it gets.

Still, it’s nowhere near as great as the ”New World Mistress”. This track dives into an even more retro-sounding guitar sound, at least to these ears, and goes into more of these wicked proggy nuances for good measure. ”Pain & Misery” simply smokes, going for the ever so slightly swingy approach and a nice flair for diversity in its structure, which adds to its effectiveness a ton, and ”Running Red” keeps on bringing the effin’ point straight home effortlessly with meaty riffs, red blooded drumming and heaps more solid hooks. Remarkably colorful basswork is being brought to the forefront with increasingly abstract experimental rhythmic patterns in ”Sixteen”, which seems to harken back straight to the late 60s with the mind frame it easily conjures up from the get-go. ”The Great Shadow” rides the wave of spook with crunchy riffs, interestingly stylish war drums, and I gotta underline that this mid-track buildup to one resolutely heavy peak is yet another important passage on this album you don’t wanna miss. Back to back with such ferocious pwnage, against all odds, last two cuts ”The River” and ”White Face” are slightly laggy and linear. They’re still okay songs, with a steady gallop and an edgy vocal, and good licks, but they audibly don’t reach the level of excellency the rest of the record brings up full fucking blast. Still, considering how the rest of this track list has one heck of a reach in the old schooler’s heart with a massive statement of skill to speak of, those two short and slightly ordinary tunes don’t exactly ruin the overall experience.

You might want to take notice of what Wizards of Kaos are brewing up. They’re sitting on a bomb. This is some blinding and straight-forward worship of the core of heavy metal with a reinvigorated and sincerely revitalizing twist.

”Frozen at the Moment of Death” promptly showcases this imposing and masterful evolution in the overall attack with some neat melodies, a great groove, and a certain hint of a thrashy spirit defining its outlines. It immediately impresses with how vivifying and bar-raising it is. ”Formaldehyde” goes further into that promising direction with one pleasingly engrossing structure, fairly psychotropic technical riffage, and a well-balanced series of tempo shifts. The format is very compact and intelligently laid out, aiding this track greatly in its venture to aim satisfyingly high. It does have its merit. ”18 Days” has en effective down tempo intro, but that fleeting moment of promise is short-lived. The rest of the track is weak at best, sounding half-assed even on the riffage front, as Barnes’ dull and go-through-the-motions growls follow along with the monotony. ”Molest Dead” is slightly better. Nevertheless, it doesn’t succeed in the task of pushing past the boundaries of downright blandness. I can safely say that the awesomeness of the next four tracks sure makes up for this lack of focused consistency with one heck of a moving versatility. ”Blood on My Hands” is very filthy and menacing, and is nuanced enough to keep the interest on board. The fleshing out of the melodic licks around the 2:40 minute-mark is especially kickass. ”Missing Victims” has an elaborate and absorbing main riff, a positively threatening drive in the meshing of the songwriting ideas soaring in the background during the verses, one engaging upbeat tempo shift around mid-track, and some nice hooks and well-calculated pattern shifts. It’s a very spontaneous and creative tune that goes to prove Six Feet Under are solidifying their street cred quite a bit with this smasher of an album. ”Reckless” easily classifies as the catchiest song around these parts. It has punch, grit, and one infectious groove, and the chorus hits the nail on the head. This colossal kick in the face is directly followed by the relentlessly bone-crushing and absolutely uncivil ”Near Death Experience” that rolls in with a riff that sounds a bit off in its introduction, but it thankfully quickly skips to the good stuff by slashing right through brick walls with punishing full speed brutal death dementia backed up by Talley’s voracious delivery.

”The Scar” pales in comparison. The drumming is the key element that gives it personality and an ability to stomp, but the rest of the instrumentation is tame and pedestrian. It’s a moment of clear letdown leading up to a convincing consolation in the form of ”Delayed Combustion Device”. It’s one epic and multifarious ordeal with a heck of an erratic backbone, and that sincerely blows me away in the case of this band. Even Barnes’ growling range is expanding considerably, instantly becoming more powerful by the same token. ”Vampire Apocalypse”, on the other hand, is one vain and decidedly filler dreck. The riffs are missing the mark, the chorus is extremely lame, and the overall vibe of the song is singularly timid ’til a slight addition of kick comes from Talley’s end of the deal to snap one out of the zoneout motion, saving the song from being literally boring until the last second. ”The Depths of Depravity” is a direct contrast to this sub-par flatness with a very cavernous and original approach. It’s meaty, catchy, wild, and knows to go into brutal head-chopping mode at just the right moment, this skin-slicing endeavor being surrounded by effective melodies. The song ends with an entertaining experimental breakdown followed by this sweet and slightly atmospheric melodic bit I wouldn’t’ve expected to hear on a record like this one.

In a nutshell, ”Undead” is definitely good news for the hopefuls that stuck around hoping some kind of rejuvenated twist would rear its head. It pummels mercilessly and sure stands its ground, certainly being remarkable for what it is. Nice work.

The fact that this album goes to such great lengths to keep variation on the dial gives the listening experience a full bodied and persuasive effectiveness, which is exactly the element a death metal record needs to make a real difference and remain an influential point of reference over time. There’s plenty of deathgrind releases to sink our teeth into, hitting the shelves absolutely every day – it has to be said, though, that not every single endeavor reaches a real culminating point, in the midst of this ever-growing scene. A compact, entertaining, and sufficiently experimental record like this one is bound to grab a large crowd by the skin of the neck with a hold strong enough to create a couple shock waves in the brain and bring new fans on board while at it.

Both ”Morgue Feast” and ”Leechlord” are intoxicating and mesmeric as it gets with ape drumming, and infatiguable rhythm sections. The second cut particularly struck me with its very creative melodic tempo shifts. ”Quarantine of Leprosy” is the ultimate mammoth out of those three first slabs of psychotic goodness, going at this insane fucking speed while incorporating well-constructed grooves and intricate, uncluttered tech passages. The way this song’s nuances are cleverly distributed along its structure really make the most face melting bits stand out in a three-dimensional and slicing way, and that corrosive solo laying on one blindingly sick and neck-breaking drum pattern around the 3:27 minute mark is a thing of speech-robbing beauty. Fourth cut ”Flesh of a Sick Virgin” doesn’t show signs of wear at all, being aptly schizophrenic and thunderous – nevertheless, ”The Stake Crawlers” stands out even more. Not only is its main riff malevolent and instantly likeable as it fleshes itself out at ’bout the same time the vocals step in; the overall framework is very rich, demented, and chaotic. This is a stand-out track that got me stopping and thinking of the epicness of one Immolation. It calls the shots in terms of utilizing melodies that are bound to stay with you after the very first listen.

”Undead Awake” didn’t strike me as relentlessly original; still, it’s a rabid cut, and does reach a point of bold greatness around mid-track with some more superbly vicious drum work from Mark Marzocca’s end. ”Elmer the Exhumer” sticks its neck out with a stylishly invigorated and singular structure. The experimental prog section around the 3:00 minute-mark is definitely a rad handful. The way less than merciful evisceration rooms alongside this type of very contrasting approach is quite fresh-sounding and interesting once the initial skepticism fades. ”Dead Shall Rise” is definitely more traditional with a format of brutality that doesn’t let up for a shadow of a split second.

In this picture, there’s no room for a single raincheck – Natron are sure going all out with imposing and maddening efficiency. This is going a zillion miles an hour with the full intent to try its hand at playing things out with a good sense of unconventionality. Credit will go where it’s greatly due.

”Music’s Like..” stuns from the get-go. It has this spine-crushing kind of depressive bleakness to it, as much as a certain hint of innocence, and that intelligent mash-up of the two polar opposite mind frames sure knows to move me in its complex but effective endeavor. ”Idiot Adult” dives even deeper into the abysses of downright ad misericordiam with ghostly background leads that are positively haunting, guiding the track into one sudden pit stop that erupts into a gripping and staggering accentuation of the drumming’s ferocity, adding just the right touch of oomph to aptly seal the deal and make this song an essential for fans of the desolate and grim spectrum of the post-rock scene. It truly leaves a mark on the psyche instead of breezing by with nary a trace of personality, and that’s one talent I don’t have trouble believing Arctic Plateau’s been proudly helming on past releases, judging by those first two pieces alone. The short ”Abuse” doesn’t particularly stand out, sounding like an expansion of the previous cut in the nature of its approach, but the all-consuming ”Catarctic Cartoons” is fantastically quenching my thirst for more debilitating darkness. It does possess the tools of the trade to strike deep down under and is arranged well enough to keep the interest on board all through it’s 3.55 minutes of deliciously eerie instrumentation. The absence of vocals doesn’t make it any less poignant.

The title-track sure has its own merit as well. The massively enjoyable build-up around the 3 minute mark leading into Gianluca’s well sustained and interestingly gritty growling (supported by very tempestuous drumming and the song’s memorably grey main lick) has a heavy-hitting impact and closes the track with notable skill, yet again proving that diverse and well thought-out songwriting sure is a forte around these parts. The superb ”Melancholy Is Not Only for Soldiers” has a contemplative depth that reminds me of Solstafir‘s recent works in a less than deniable way.”Loss and Love” goes into more of an accessible and radio-friendly format, and whilst its touch of Radiohead influence sure isn’t despicable, I can’t help but to think it stands apart from the straight-forward direction of the rest of the album. I can say the same about ”Big Fake Brother” that sails on those same waters with ease, but very much without enough strength of character. It’s not until ”Wrong” crawls in that I actually looked up and took notice; it has its fair amount of calculating, quality licks, and a mournful ambiance that absorbs the senses incredibly well, and ”Trensatte” is one kickass progressive and abstract instrumental number that scores points in both the chops and the originality departments with much feel and organic dedication on board.

I’d be lying if I plainly stated that all shoegaze/post-rock acts know to blow my mind. It takes very refined mastery to ace this sub-genre and make a lasting impression, and it goes without saying that Arctic Plateau should get more attention. It’s being earned for damn certain on this album. I’ll gladly have more of this goodness at any time.